Someone Who Cares
by Shiroi Ichigo-chan
Summary: Sixteen-year old Tsukino Miu has been living in Konoha for six months since the death of her parents. When she finds a beaten and bruised four-year old Naruto, she decides to take care of him and eventually train him. But it won't be easy as the council and other problems keep getting in the way. KakashixOC, Eventually NaruHina, AU
1. Chapter 1: Meeting you

**A/N: **Hey! So this is the first chapter of my very first fanfic. I'm new here so all comments are appreciated. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but please don't flame. I hope you enjoy the story :D

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. However this story and the OC are mine.

**Chapter 1: Meeting You**

**Part 1: Naruto**

It was a beautiful October morning in the village of Konoha. The sun was shining, the autumn leaves coloring the village in a mix of red and gold. The streets were buzzing with people. Everyone was happy. Everyone but one small child.

Uzumaki Naruto was not having a good day. The four-year old had accidentally dropped a plate when he had wanted to eat breakfast in the orphanage, and all hell had broken loose. Naruto took his punishment without a word. If he screamed they would only hit him more. He had adapted, it had become normal. But this morning the beatings were extra harsh. October tenth was approaching after all.

Naruto may have been young, but he knew that the beatings, the glares, the insults and the loneliness were always worse in October. The closer his birthday came, the more he had to go into hiding. So after the beatings that morning, he had run away from the orphanage and had kept running. He always went into the forest, finding that when he went there, no one came after him. In the forest his wounds got the chance to heal. When he saw some early drunks, he had to turn to another side of the forest. He always tried his best to avoid them, as they were the ones who would usually beat him. So he ran and ran until he was out of breath.

He hunched over near the base of a tree. Cradling his broken arm. His ribs felt like they were on fire, he was seeing spots and feeling sick. His legs hurt, his back was torturing him. He was covered in bruises. And it _hurt_.

Naruto may have become accustomed to the beatings and may have seen it as something that was an everyday occurrence, but that didn't lessen the pain, it didn't lessen the hurt and loneliness he was feeling. He just wanted a friend, he just wanted to be accepted.

Of course he had wished for far more things than that but it would mean the world to him if only those two things would come true. Besides he knew… those other, secret wishes would never be granted. The wishes he shouted out in his heart when the glaring was so bad it was suffocating, when the beatings got so bad he just wanted to _die, _when he watched those families from afar…

But he knew it was impossible for someone to love him, to care for him, to worry for him. He knew he would never have someone to hug or cry with. Never have someone who would cook for him, scold him or fuss over him. Someone to just be there with him, talk to him, play ninja-tag with him, someone who would lift that blanket of intense loneliness that was almost suffocating him. But of course even though he didn't have those things and knew, just _knew_ he would never get them either, he kept smiling, kept getting up again even though he was constantly brought down. He wouldn't let them win, _never_! _Because I'm Uzumaki Naruto_! He thought.

Naruto tightened his grip on his arm, curling into a smaller ball. The tears came, just like they always did. And like always he cried alone. His small form hidden by the leaves and branches of the tree he was hiding under. His orange shirt and brown shorts blending in with the autumn colored leaves.

He thought back to the times he saw kids with their family; playing, laughing, being _happy_. Kids running out of their house, knowing that their parents would be there for them, to welcome them, to fuss over them, to get angry at them… For the millionth time, his thoughts wandered to his own parent. Who were they? Had they abandoned him? Were they alive? Dead? Why weren't they here with him?

_Why did you leave me, mom, dad? Why am I here alone?_

And as he cried, the skies darkened. As if feeling his sadness, his pain, his suffering, his scathing loneliness, the sky opened its heart and it rained. As if crying with him. He sat there leaning against a tree, sobbing and listening to the rain. And it soothed him, just like he imagined a mothers hug would. He felt at peace. A small smile lingered on his face as he closed his eyes and whispered two small words to the wind. "Thank you…" He relaxed, letting his guard down for the first time in months, and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

**Part 2: Minato & Kushina**

In heaven there was a red-headed woman, she was crying, clinging to her blond-haired companion. They sat before the river of life; watching over the living world. They both had a look of agonizing pain, regret, sadness, longing and love on their face. Reflected in the river they saw a malnourished and hurt five-year old boy, lying against a tree trunk, a small smile on his face as he dreamed.

The two of them had been watching him all this time, every step of the way. When the two of them had died, Kushina had gone to heaven and Minato had been eaten by the Shinigami, doomed to fight the Kyuubi for all eternity. But Kami had decided to grant Minato's soul heaven too, because he had so selflessly sacrificed himself for his village, saving millions of people.

"Minato…" She whispered. Her voice rough and strained by tears and sadness. Minato tightened his grip on his red-headed companion.

"Yeah, Kushina-chan?" he whispered in an equally tired voice.

"I…I can't watch him like this. Naruto-chan didn't deserve this…." Her breath catching in her throat, a familiar itching beginning in her nose and in her swollen eyes, her usual fire dimmed by the grief of seeing their child so broken. Helpless to do anything about it. Minato screwed his eyes shut, clenching his teeth as he answered.

"I know…I'm so sorry." He had sacrificed his son, his life for a village that now treated their savior as if he were the shit of the world. And it hurt him, because he had wanted a happy life for Naruto. He had wanted a happy life for the villagers too. He had wanted them to see his son as the hero that had saved them, not as the monster he had defeated. He was just so disappointed

"It's so sad that they see Naruto as the fox instead of the hero that saved them. I really thought that they would understand... I didn't want Naruto to bear this burden alone." Minato told his wife. She closed her eyes and leaned closer to him. But he had been the Hokage. It was his duty to protect his village and all the villagers in it. Even if it meant that he would die and leave his son to bear the burden that he had left. Kushina calmed down and took a look at her son again, drinking in his features, as she had done so many times before.

"Naruto's become so cute. He's totally your mini-me." Minato smiled.

"He's got the shape of your face and his nose is definitely yours." Kushina made a noise in the back of her throat, agreeing with him.

"He's a bit on the thin side though. If I were there, I would probably be feeding him tons and tons. I... would have him started on chakra training and he would be friends with Mikoto's son. Sasuke, right? And Hikari's cute child Hinata. Maybe they'll end up together when they're older." She sniggered.

"Ah, but I don't think it'll be easy for him. All those Hyuuga's are so uptight— No sense of humor. Hikari is probably the only one that can smile and not have her face cracked. Tch. I swear all of them have a stick up their ass the size of the Hokage tower!" Minato and Kushina smiled at that.

"If I was there, I would kiss him goodnight, and read him a story every night." Minato continued.

"We would all have diner together, unless one of us was on a mission. I wonder what he would think about me being the Hokage. Would he be proud? Or would he hate me for all the expectations he has to reach?

We would all go to Ichiraku's and all have some ramen. I would take countless of pictures of us as a family. And of course with Kakashi-kun, too. When he was older, I would teach him the Rasengan and Hirashin. He would probably love the jutsu library that we have built in these years." Kushina nodded against his shoulder.

"If, if…Only if. We can't do anything but watch. And it's so… frustrating. Not being able to do anything."

"We're only able to watch…"

"If only someone… someone cared enough. I wish Naruto had someone to protect him and teach him. To love him, like we would have loved him…" Kushina closed her eyes and a silent tear dribbled down her cheek, as she cried for her broken family, for the helplessness she was feeling and for her son that nobody loved.

**Part 3: Miu**

Tsukino Miu was hungry. No she was absolutely starving! She had eaten nothing but shitty ration bars and now that the mission was complete she was eager to get some _real_ food. "Hey guys, I'll see you later okay!" She waved her farewell to her teammates and took to the rooftops, going in the direction of the dango shop she had fallen in love with. Her black haired ponytail trailing behind her.

It had been six months since her parents had died and she had moved to Konoha. She had been doing missions ever since, gaining quite a reputation. She still missed them a lot. They had gotten so close after the clan massacre four years ago. The three-story house was still too empty sometimes. But she was glad she had made some amazing friends.

She walked into the dango shop, immediately seeing one of said friends devouring dango as if her life depended on it. She sat down in front of her and called her order.

"Good morning, Anko. Scarfing down dango again, I see." She said, a smirk on her face.

"Goof mornging, Miu-chan." She answered with her mouth still full. At Miu's glare, she swallowed the dango she had been eating before talking again.

"Good to see you again, I was getting bored! Tch! No one can give me a spar like you can. Are you up for one?" She asked. Meanwhile Miu's dango was given and she, like the dignified clan leader she was supposed to be, picked up the dango sticks and started inhaling them. Anko grinned at her and she just shrugged. Her clan was dead, her parents were gone too. There was no one to berate her for eating like a pig. Really sometimes they had been even worse than those Hyuuga's. And man, they totally had a stick up their ass the size of the Hokage monument!

"Sorry, today's a no-go. I have a report to write and I want to finish that medical seal I was working on. What do you think of tomorrow?" Anko of course crossed her arms and pouted like the fourteen year old she was. But then she just shrugged and agreed.

"Tomorrow morning, then?" Miu nodded.

"Wanna join me for my morning run again? It would be fun just you, me … and Gai." She asked her friend, who effectively choked on the dango she was eating. Miu just laughed in her face, her sapphire blue eyes twinkling as her friend struggled to breath and helpfully thumped her on the back.

"Y-you, bitch! You're _evil_! No thanks! You're totally the only one in Konoha who can keep up with that…. _Thing! _He wears green, damnit! A _green _spandex!" She shivered only thinking about it.

"And he talks about the fires of youth?" Miu laughed at the wide-eyed expression on the other Kunoichi's face.

"Miu! Don't _say_ that, okay! I get sick of hearing it. And do you know what's worse?! That Genjutsu that just appears out of nowhere behind him. Last time I saw it, I almost went blind. I'm scarred for life!" She ended, dramatically waving a stick full of dango around, before swallowing them. Miu just raised an eyebrow.

"Weren't you traumatized with the snake man, already? I don't think it can get anywhere near as bad as that." Anko just shrugged again.

"True. And it's probably the same for you. I swear your clan members let you fall on your head with how _you_ turned out." Miu grinned at her.

"That's probably true. Who knows right?"

Anko had been the first friend Miu made when she came to Konoha. She had come to eat some Dango, trying to eat away the grief. When they had noticed each other, they had promptly started a glaring match. After that they had both acknowledged each other and eventually they had become really good friends. Telling each other things that they had never talked to anyone else about. Anko about her time with the snake bastard and Miu about her dead clan and their inhuman training and expectations of her.

Miu and Anko both finished their dango and talked about their missions, catching up with each other like they always did. They both got up after a while.

"Ah, I have to go and write that damn report. I'll see you tomorrow morning, eh Anko. Oh and just so you know, I am _not_ going drinking tonight. If you come ask, I'll wake you up for the run-of-doom." Anko paled, making Miu smirk.

"I won't!" Anko quickly responded. Miu nodded.

"Good. Bye Bye!" she waved her friend goodbye and took the road home, instead of the roofs. Miu enjoyed the scenery. The beautiful trees covered with the colors of autumn, the kids playing around and the parents watching with an amused or sometimes worried smile. She watched as they laughed together. _How nice…._ She was glad that these kids could live so carefree. There was no war to worry about. She didn't have that kind of childhood, having been trained ever since she started talking. There had been no time to play…

She looked up at the sky. The clouds that had gathered that morning were gone and the sun was shining again. The rain that had fallen this morning had been strangely soothing. It had reminded her of her parents.

She entered the woods. Following the path almost subconsciously. Instinctively she released a chakra pulse to see if there was someone close by. Normally people wouldn't come here, but she had many enemies and it would never hurt anyone to be on guard. So she stopped dead in her tracks when she found another chakra signature. It was big but uncontrolled. A kid that had potential, probably from a ninja clan. She followed it and found the kid she had sensed.

It was a blond kid, well _had_ been a blond kid. His hair was matted with blood, his clothes were torn. Standing from here, it seemed as if he were dead. But Miu could see the slight going up and down of his chest to know he was alive.

The medic in her kicked in and she smoothly made her way to the small child. She made some hand seals and ran a glowing hand over his body. He had three broken ribs, a broken leg, a cracked sternum, his back was badly hurt and he had numerous bruises over his body. Her eyes narrowed as she probably guessed what had happened. Who would do something like this to a child? She got up and for a second wondered where she would take him. The hospital or her own home? Well she was only a few steps away, so she went home. She directly went up to one of the guest rooms and laid the child there.

First she cleaned his wounds and then closed them up with medical ninjutsu. She wetted a towel and gently washed his hair and face clean. When she was done she got a better look at him. The boy was definitely malnourished. He had cute blond hair and his cheeks had three cute whisker like markings. She gently traced them. The kid totally had an angelic face. And it made her angry at the bastards that hurt this child. No matter what they did wrong, no child deserved to be beaten up. If she hadn't been there he would have died. By his injuries or because of hypothermia.

She had never seen him before, but that couldn't mean anything. After all, of the six months she had been here, she was almost always on a mission. She just met up with her friends, trained, made new seals and sometimes worked in the hospital.

She gently brushed his blond locks and got up. She went to her room, got the scrolls she needed and went back to the guest room. The kid would definitely get up disoriented. It would be better if she was here so that she could at least explain the situation.

She sat down at the desk and started writing her mission report.

**Part 4: Hiroshi & Kazumi**

Up in heaven another pair sat at the river of life. They watched their daughter with proud reflected in their green eyes. Glad that she had grown into a beautiful, strong and responsible woman.

"Did you see how she handled those bastards?" Hiroshi, Miu's dad asked his wife.

"She got that move from you, dear." His wife responded with a grin.

They both laughed at her scarfing down dango's with her friend.

"I think it's better that she was released from the chains of the clan. She has become more free, she dropped the masks that she used to wear around us. It's like she's finally experiencing what she should have as a child." Kazumi said, a sadness in her eyes. Hiroshi laid his hand on his wife's hand, a sad smile on his face.

"That's true, I'm just glad that we're still able to see it from here. Even though she may not know it, we're always watching over her. It's been only six months, but I'm so proud to have seen her grow like that. I just wish I could have told her." Kazumi just nodded her head. And they both sat there watching as their sixteen year old daughter went home.

The two of them suddenly focused again as they saw a familiar blond.

"Hey, isn't that…" Kazumi began, as she saw the bloodied kid, her daughter brought home.

"I think it is. Minato's kid, right?"

Hiroshi and Kazumi looked up as the mist on their right side began to dissolve. Two figures became visible, slowly revealing a familiar blond and redhead. Both of the couples looked at each other in shock. Kushina and Kazumi both raised a finger at the other at the same time.

"Aaaah!" they both called out.

"Kushina!" "Kazumi!" The two women bellowed at the same time again. They both got up and ran into each other's arms. Not believing they were meeting their friend here in heaven.

The men finally snapped out of the shock and got up too.

"Hiroshi!" Minato called out with a grin on his face.

"Minato, how have you been?!" Hiroshi called back just as enthusiastically. To hell with the clan customs! They were dead and could act like they wanted to! That's why the two of them ran up to each other, embracing each other in a manly hug.

When both couples were finally done, they broke out of their hugs and looked their friends over again with a smile.

"I can't believe you guys are here!" Hiroshi commented.

"Yeah! How is this even possible?" Kushina replied.

Conveniently, just at that moment an angel arrived. And all of their eyes turned to him. "I'll explain it to you."

**Part 5: Miu and Naruto: first meeting**

Miu sighed as she put down her pen. She threw her head and arms back and stretched out her sore muscles. Her damn mission report was finally done. This was the only part she hated about being a mission leader. It was way too much work… luckily her mission had only been two weeks. But it still was a lot to write down. She rolled it up, put a seal on it and put it in her scroll organizer. She would go and deliver this to old man Sandaime tomorrow. She pulled out another scroll and left it on her desk. She got up and made her way to the door. It was almost 7 o'clock and she was hungry. She glanced at the kid still sleeping in her room and went to prepare dinner for two. She wasn't in the mood for something complicated, so she just boiled some rice, fried some chicken and made miso soup. She put the tea kettle up and made some green tea for herself.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto slowly woke up from his sleep, as he groggily opened his eyes to an unknown ceiling. _Huh, where am I?_ He looked around the room. By the light falling in from the windows he could make out that it was evening already and that they were in the middle of the forest. Forest… all the memories from the day rushed back to him and when he inspected his body, he saw he was already healed. A frown marred his small face as he looked at his body in confusion. Okay this was just ridiculous. He knew healed fast, but he had never healed this fast before. By moving around too much, the slightly damp cloth that was on his forehead fell down on his lap and he looked at it, almost questioningly. _Was someone taking care of me?_ But he quickly shook that thought out of his head. _Not possible._ Though he couldn't deny that there was this small little hope welling up inside of him. He was roughly brought out of his musings when his stomach growled loudly. He covered his stomach in embarrassment. He hadn't eaten since yesterday night. He had dropped his plate full of breakfast this morning, which had lead him to escape another beating to the forest. That lead to him being here. Where was 'here' anyway?

He smelled something delicious and slowly made his way out of the bed. Following his nose, he carefully made it down to the kitchen. He was shocked at how big this place was. He just hoped that it wasn't someone who would trick him again. The first time he had trusted a caretaker at the orphanage he had almost died from food poisoning. And after that, when he had trusted a child that wanted to play with him, he had been lead to a house filled with drunks who had beaten him inches to his life. From which he learned not to trust people too quickly.

Naruto almost jumped out of his skin when someone put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. He looked up and was met with smiling face of the woman who was kneeling in front of him. Her smile was so gentle is made his heart squeeze. How could she look at him like that?

"Hey there, kiddo, good to see you're awake, did you sleep well?" she asked him in a gentle voice. Naruto just stared at her dumbly, that little ball of hope growing bigger. Why was she being so nice? He absolutely loved it, but he was afraid that in a few seconds she would realize who he was and that those gentle eyes would turn on his with just as much hate as the rest of the villagers. And he would hate that, because he would be all alone again.

He wasn't able to look away from her warm blue eyes. _She's so nice, Maybe I can even trust her._ He stared at the woman in front of her. There was no deceit in her eyes. Only sincere happiness.

"Ah…" he mumbled. Not really knowing what to say. No one had really wanted to talk to him, except for old man Hokage on his monthly visits to the orphanage, and he hadn't been allowed to tell him anything.

"I'm Tsukino Miu." She suddenly said and Naruto looked up at her again. she smiled at him reassuringly.

"What's your name?" she asked him and he was kind of shocked that she didn't seem to know him. Everyone seemed to know his name, always saying it as if it were a curse.

"Uzumaki Naruto." He finally said, at this Miu looked shocked for a second, before a wide grin spread on her face.

"That's a beautiful name, Naruto-kun!" Said boy blushed crimson red at the praise.

"Ah, thank you, Tsukino-san." He said, fumbling with the hem of his shirt.

She picked him up with ease, gaining a squeak from the small boy in her arms, as she surprised him. She put him down on a chair in front of a small feast. His eyes widened and his mouth watered at the sight. It looked delicious, nothing like the food he got from the orphanage that always seemed too black and too bitter to eat. But Naruto had never complained, even when he saw that it was different from the food that the other kids got.

Tsukino-san sat down on the other side and looked at him. "I'm sorry, it's nothing much, but I wasn't really in the mood to cook long." He looked up at her, a bit shocked. This was nothing much?! It was more food than he had ever gotten to eat in his life! He just shook his head and hesitantly picked up the chopsticks. He looked up again, and the woman just smiled at him and clapped her hands together, shouting an 'Itadakimasu' before picking up her own chopstick and starting to eat. Naruto just watched her and he looked down at his food again.

He almost fell of his chair as he felt a hand rest on his shoulder again. He looked to his right to see the woman who had been sitting right in front of him a second ago. How the hell was she able to move so fast?! She had a concerned look on her face as she asked him if he was okay.

"Aren't you hungry?" she asked him. He just shook his head.

"No, that not it…" he said.

He looked up at her again and saw a confused expression on her face. Then her eyes just lit up and he was a little taken aback by the grin marring her face.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun." She said as she patted his head. An action that confused him a little. Where had he seen this before? "You can eat if you want. Don't hold back, okay?" she added as she got up and went back to her seat. She sat down and began eating again. Naruto picked up his chopsticks again and picked up a bit of his rice and brought it to his mouth. It was delicious. He didn't remember eating something so delicious ever in his life! He looked up at the woman that just gently smiled again.

"Do you like it?" She asked softly. He smiled at her, a real genuine smile as he nodded enthusiastically.

"It's delicious! Thank you!" He exclaimed. She just grinned at him.

"Then you should keep eating or it'll get cold!" He nodded and dug into this delicious meal, telling her that he loved it every once in a while, meaning every word of it.

* * *

It hurt… Seeing this kid's eyes that looked upon the world with such a distrusting look, seeing him so wary and on guard hurt her. A kid shouldn't have those kind of eyes. Those kind of tired eyes that had seen too much for his age, he shouldn't have those shadows lurking behind them, telling her of a hard and dark past. He shouldn't have that questioning look as she patted him on his head. As if he had never been touched gently, as if he had never been smiled at, as if that simple touch was a puzzle to be solved.

He shouldn't be enjoying her food so much. He should be picky, not look at it as if it was the biggest feast he had seen.

He shouldn't have been like this if Konoha claimed to be the most peaceful, the most merciful village in the whole elemental nations. He shouldn't have looked as if he had been isolated and hated all of his small life. He shouldn't have looked as if he had only gotten garbage to eat.

He was probably an orphan.

She smiled at him gently as he ate her food and smiled a smile so pure it made her heart break.

Who would have mistreated this child so much he had turned out this way? Underneath the table her fist clenched painfully hard, her anger rising. Who would have _dared _to treat this child as if he were a punching bag? She would get them for sure… if she could just find out where he lived. Probably the Konoha Orphanage… she had been meaning to go there. Maybe cook a meal for these kids that had lost their families. If she had done that, would she have found this child alone somewhere? It didn't look like he had a friend. His eyes would've been a lot brighter.

Somehow his eyes reminded her of her own when she was his age. Getting trained every day to a breaking point, having no friends, there was almost no one she could trust, people always wore a mask in front of her. Probably trying to gain the favor of the future clan head. There had been so much deceit… but at least she had had her parents and …

Wait a minute…

She looked at him again. blond hair, blue eyes. That_ smile_… whisker marks on his cheeks.

_Uzumaki_...

He reminded her of _him._ Her dad's best friend, boyfriend of her mother's best friend… practically an uncle to her.

Namikaze Minato, the yellow flash of Konoha… had a kid?


	2. Chapter 2: Who you really are

**A/N: **Well this is the second chapter of SWC. Please read and review. Again thank you for reading my story!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, if I did Kushina and Minato would still be alive :3 The OC is all mine, though.

**Chapter 2: Who you really are**

**Part 1: back in heaven**

"I'll explain it to you." The angel said, making the four others shift their attention to him.

"As you can see, the river of life is a place where you can watch over those you have left behind. You all have your own space, that's why both sides are shrouded in mist. The thing is that when two people meet as is their destiny, your paths will also cross. That's why the mist of your side let up when your daughter and son met each other."

Kazumi looked back at her friend. "But why haven't we met each other before then?"

The angel sighed deeply and sat down on the luscious green grass.

"People tend to forget that you can meet those who have died here too. There's a place outside of this river where you can meet, yet some people tend to stay here, watching the living, instead of going out and meeting with the others. Here you get your privacy and others can't see you or hear you." He explained.

"That's why you haven't met Kushina-san or Minato-san outside of this place; because they never left it… they've been here for four years watching over their son. Am I right?" He asked. Minato and Kushina just nodded. Kazumi bowed at the angel in front of her. "Thank you for the explanation, Angel-san."

He just smiled, got up and then left. The friends just stayed quiet for a while.

"So, Miu-chan was fated to meet Naruto?" Kushina asked with a small smile on her lips. Kazumi just nodded.

"She'll take good care of him. I'm sure of it." She added. Minato grinned at that.

"Guess, we can take time off from watching every now and again then right?" Hiroshi thumped his friend on the back and nodded at him.

"Yeah, she'll take good care of him… and by the looks of it, I think she realized it." He said, pointing at the river again. They all sat down for a while and watched with amused smiles as Miu created a clone somewhere behind naruto.

**Part 2: Down on earth**

She couldn't believe she hadn't realized it earlier. She had sent her clone to go and look up some pictures of Minato and Kushina that she had in a few of her albums. The day of the clan massacre, her father had converted the entire clan library into a single scroll. Thus almost everything had been saved. It was a bunch of old albums when the four of them still had the time to have been going out together. She remembered a few of those moments. And when the clone undid himself, Miu could with 100% certainty tell that Uzumaki Naruto was Kushina Uzumaki's and Namikaze Minato's child.

Judging from the way he had been acting earlier, she deduced that he had been an orphan and a badly treated one at that. And that's where other things began clicking into place.

The kyuubi.

How could she have forgotten the bastard fox? She had clearly felt him all the way to the capital. Seriously, she had been scared shitless. Well, who wouldn't? The fox had been giving off such a menacing and killer aura that it would have made even the strongest Jounin weak in the knees!

And that's why she had always wondered about the explanation that her parents had given her regarding the huge amount of materialized chakra that was the kyuubi. She had had millions of questions when she had been studying seals and chakra and she had seen right through her parents' lie. She just hadn't confronted them. And just now it totally made _sense_! A genius like Minato-san, could surely find a way to seal the kyuubi away. And it had to have been in a child that had just had its umbilical cord cut. An inanimate object couldn't have been used. The kyuubi's chakra was too big.

And then she had checked. She had patted Naruto's shoulder again, this time with a small amount of chakra on it that scanned his body. And there she had found it, right around his navel two four symbols seals, forming the Eight Trigrams Seal.

That would explain the whisker marks and the quick healing. That's why the kid had no physical scars… it's because of the healing ability that the kyuubi's chakra had granted him.

It would also explain his emotional scars. She had studied a book on Jinchuuriki's and knew that they were treated like a monster wherever they were. But that would mean that all of the people knew. That would mean that the Hokage had told them. It made her wonder if the old man was finally going senile. He couldn't have had believed that the villagers would accept him even though he would have told them that the kyuubi was practically still alive in an orphan boy. Never mind the fact that he was safely sealed away and unable to influence naruto as it pleased. And how Miu saw it now, the kyuubi's conscious still wasn't there in Naruto. It was as if he was sleeping.

But the more and more she thought about it, the more she believed that the third would indeed do something like that. He was just too trusting sometimes. Humans could be monsters. To even turn to hurt a child as cute as naruto. But she was probably right as she assumed that naruto was probably hated by the villagers. Hate and fear making them blind to his cute face, to his beautiful blue eyes and his undeniable genius. They would only see the kyuubi. The beast that had killed their parents, brothers and sisters, friends, and their dear Hokage… not knowing that this kid was his only heir and legacy.

'Damn… Sarutobi-sama made one big mistake.' She thought. She was almost 100% sure that her assumption would be correct.

She looked up from the medical seal she had been staring at to look at the kid in question, who was happily drawing a big house surrounded by a lot of trees. She should have a talk with him. She had taken a liking to him and she really didn't want to ask questions that would most probably hurt him, but she just had to know. She wanted to know if… if she could have a chance with him.

Even before she had realized it, she had taken a liking to him. She had felt a need to protect him. And it had been growing stronger and stronger the more time she spent with this kid.

When she was still a child, she had often been alone. Because of her special powers, Miu had been isolated from the rest of the clan. And she had always wished for someone that would be her friend. And she had found that in Yukie, a cousin of hers. She had made her drop some of her masks. Treating her like a normal human being, not as a tool, not as a future clan head. And it had been so refreshing.  
Yukie had made her more human than she ever remembered she had been. That's how she could voice her opinion more loudly than before, that's how she could grow as a person and not be stuck as an unfeeling machine, as a tool that was to be used by the clan. Yukie made it possible for her to make friends with other people.

She knew that burning pain of loneliness when her parents got sent out on missions and she didn't know whether they would come back alive or not. Or that day the clan council told her Yukie had died, and it had almost broken her inside, but instead of reverting to the weapon she was supposed to be, she just grew to like her emotions, herself even more. It had made her determined to live the life Yukie had taught her to live.

Yukie had become a sister and when she died, it was as if a part of her heart had been taken away. She had begged for her parents to give her a sibling. She wanted someone that would be tied to her always. That would look up to her, someone she could care for with all her heart. She had wanted a little brother or sister.

And in this weird twist of fate, she had started to like this orphan boy in front of her. Hated by many, loved by a very few. She knew that he needed someone to be there for him and she was seriously thinking of just teleporting them to the Hokage's office and handling all the paper work, so he could just live here. With _her_. Though there were still many things holding her back. Would he like to be here? Maybe Naruto _did _have a friend in the orphanage somewhere. What would he do when she was gone on missions? She was really unsure and decided not to rush it.

"Naruto-kun. Can I ask you something?" she asked as she got up from her seat and took a place on the ground. "Sure, Tsukino-san." He answered and she smiled as he put down his crayons and looked at her with his big blue eyes. She had to keep it simple. He was still a four year old, after all…

"Do you have a family, Naruto-kun?" His eyes that had been happy first, dimmed and her heart squeezed painfully at his sad expression.

"Ah, I don't have a family. I was brought up in the orphanage." he said, proving she had been spot on. Her expression softened and she put her hand on his and gave it a squeeze.

"Did you know, Naruto-kun. I recently became an orphan too." He looked up, interested. She gave him a sad smile, wondering whether to tell this kid or not.

"My whole family died when I turned 12 years old." She gave him a bitter smile, when she saw his shocked expression.

"People were after me for my abilities and they killed them. Only my parents and I could escape." They couldn't save anyone. She remembered as her cousin was cut up in front of her eyes. That moment would forever be burned into her memory…

-Flashback-

_Miu was kneeling down. Her uncle, the current clan head stood in front of her. The clan elders flanking his sides._

_"Tsukino Miu, rise." He ordered._

_She did as she was told and got up, looking up at her uncle. He smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes._

_"As you were born with the special powers of one that comes only once every century, the clan gifts you this special katana that was used by the clan members who had this power before you. As of today, you can participate in clan matters and we will slowly teach you in the ways of our clan and how to best lead it." Miu bowed again, before accepting the sword that was offered to her. It was a beautiful long sword. The blade and handle were both black. There was a sapphire imbedded in the handle and silver markings on the blade. The sheath of her sword was a beautiful white and blue. She pushed a bit of chakra into the black sword, lighting up the sapphire and the silver markings in the sword. At this all everyone in the crowd clapped and she felt happiness welling up inside of her. The clan council left her be and her cousin approached her with a big smile on his face. He had grown a lot since the last time she saw him 4 years ago. He had survived the war, and she was proud of him._

_"Happy Birthday, Miu-hime!" her smile tightened a bit at the honorific. In front of the clan it was always –sama or –hime. It was like reminding her of her damn status all the time. And she _hated _it. She hadn't done anything to deserve such a title of respect. And in her case it became more like a title of mockery._

_"Thank you, Satoshi-kun."_

_Suddenly she heard a scream behind her, just when she looked back, she felt someone move in on her. Her training kicking in she jumped and drew the katana, bringing it into a defensive stance. Her eyes widened as all the people around her lay there bleeding on the ground. Various ninja's littered the room, katana's and tanto's drawn. She just stood there in shock as her cousin who she had been talking to just ten second ago, got slashed by a ninja's katana. He tried to get away, but was then stabbed before all of them turned to her._

_What had just happened? How had it escalated so quickly? Had she been in a Genjutsu? Or was it just that they had been so fast that her eyes couldn't have followed. For what had she been training, if she couldn't even protect her own clansmen from enemy ninjas. Even if they hadn't liked her, they were still family. She had never wanted them dead._

_Miu deactivated her gravity seals and got to kill two of the enemies before they even noticed she was missing. Her parents, who suddenly arrived in their bloodied ninja clothing killed the rest of them. Then they quickly nodded to each other. Her mother took her hand and teleported her away from her clan home. Her father came back just a few minutes later. "Mom, dad…" she began. But they both just shook their heads. And she knew, by the lack of chakra inside she could feel that everyone was already dead._

_She took a look at her bloodied hands and remembered the corpses of her clan members. She could feel the bile rise in her throat and quickly turned her back at her parents to empty her stomach._

_Dead. All of them were dead. What had happened? Why? Who was it? She felt all these questions rush through her head as she started seeing black. Red. Everything was red… and that's when she had lost consciousness._

-Flashback end-

Naruto was staring at her with a shocked expression. But then his face scrunched up in anger.

"That's not fair!" he shouted. And she was a little surprised by his outburst. But then she sighed and smiled at him sadly.

"I know, Naruto-kun. Sometimes life isn't fair at all…" she looked at him pointedly and he looked down. She knew that he had been hurt after all. And then he turned to look up at her again.

"But what about your parents?" He asked, confused.

"Ah…. They died 6 months ago. We were ambushed on our way here and my parents protected me and sent me to Konoha while they fought all those ninja by themselves. They didn't survive." Her voice cracked.

"This house…. It was meant for the three of us to live in. But since they're gone…" She gave him a small smile. He got up suddenly. Surprising her. He walked up to her, sat down and gave her an awkward hug. Showing her that he hadn't done this before. She smiled and pulled him on her lap as he buried his face in her chest.

"Shh, it's okay." She told him. "You don't have to cry."

'Damn…' She tried to blink her tears away.

"But, but, that's just too sad." He whispered sadly. "You lost everything." She hugged him close.

"Kiddo, don't say things like that." She looked at him and smiled even though she had tears in her eyes.

"I'm very, very glad I got to know my parents. They loved me and taught me very much. I won't ever forget what they did for me and I hope that one day, I can be a good parent. Just like they were." She whipped away his tears and hesitantly gave him a kiss on his forehead. He closed his eyes in bliss, reveling in the warmth he was feeling.

* * *

He had decided that he wouldn't trust anyone again, after what had happened. And yet… He hadn't known why he had done it, but something about this woman made him trust her. And usually his instincts were right. And as he saw the tears in her eyes as she told him about her dead family his trust was cemented. This woman was good. He could trust her.

And thus he slowly walked up to her and hugged her, just like he had seen other kids hug their family members too. And he had been shocked when she had pulled him in her lap, but closed his eyes as she hugged him close. So this was what a hug felt like…. It was warm. Why was he feeling so safe already? Feeling as if a weight had been lifted of his tiny shoulders. For the first time in his life, he felt truly _safe._ It was a nice feeling.

He relished in the warmth of the hug, and before he knew it, he was crying. Crying for everything that had been done to him, ever since he could remember. He cried for his loneliness and his pain. He cried for the assassination attempt, the name-calling, the spitting, the beatings, the cold hospitals and the icy cold glares of the villagers. And he cried for that lonely feeling that overtook him every time he was alone in that small room in the orphanage.

He trusted her and that was why he decided to tell her.

Still in their hug, Naruto spoke up.

"I ran away from the orphanage…" He started, gaining all of Miu's attention again. she pulled back a bit, making naruto whine for the loss of warmth. Miu was looking at him and so he continued, still a bit hesitant.

"I dropped a plate this morning… and I got beaten up because of it…" He said while looking in her eyes. He got a bit scared when her eyes widened and filled with anger and when her grip on him tightened a bit.

"You got beaten like that because you _dropped a plate?!_" she practically hissed. "How _dare _they! What are those people even thinking!" Naruto was glad that she wasn't angry at him, but for him.

She took a few deep breaths and sighed.

"Sorry." She said. "I didn't mean to scare you." She added in a whisper. She slowly brushed a hands through his blond locks.

"Has this ever happened before?" she asked him in a soft voice. Naruto nodded against her shoulder, reveling in the soft caress.

"They beat me all the time for things like that. I'm not supposed to talk when I'm not asked to and they only give me bad food, the other kids are never allowed to play with me. Sometimes they even lock me up in a dark room, and I get really scared. When Ojii-san with the weird hat comes to visit once a month, I can't tell him that anything is wrong or else they said they would hurt the other kids too and they said that I would get no food and that…that they would…" Naruto stopped talking, as a sob made its way out.

"Why is it only me that they hate so much?" he asked, a question he had asked himself so many times before. "Why is it only me that they treat this way and look at like I'm some kind of monster? Ne, Did I do something wrong?" he asked again, pouring his heart out to this stranger that he had strangely started to trust. And it felt so good to get everything off his chest. He had never told anyone about this.

"No." she whispered after a while. And it broke Naruto out of his daze. He had almost fallen asleep, all that crying had made him sleepy. She hugged him a bit tighter.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong, Naruto-kun. It's these people that see you as something you're not. They've all treated you so badly and it makes me very, very angry." Naruto felt so reassured by her words. It felt as if a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He smiled a bit, until something wet seemed to hit his shoulder. 'Huh?' he thought.

"Tsukino-san?" He called. When he got no answer, he lifted his head and was speechless by what he saw.

"Tsukino-san are you crying?" Suddenly Naruto panicked. Had he said too much? Should he have kept quiet? He was such an idiot! Why did he have to go and make this kind person cry. Out of frustration his own eyes filled with tears again. "Tsukino-san, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry!"

Tsukino-san just shook her head, and gave him a watery smile. "No, sorry, that's not it… I'm just so sorry, Naruto-kun." She told him with an unsteady voice, as she whipped her tears away. He just looked at her, confusion written all over his face. "Sorry for what Tsukino-san?" he whispered.

"For not noticing earlier. If only I had known earlier, I would've taken you out of that place. I would have done _something_ to spare you these experiences. I'm so ashamed of Konoha for doing this to you." She said, anger and sadness in her voice. It wasn't her fault at all! But her words were making Naruto feel _so warm_ inside.

"But Tsukino-san…" Naruto began before he was interrupted by her. She just shook her head.

"But… even though I couldn't do anything about it before, I sure _will_ do something about it right now. And I'm not going to let you go back to the orphanage, Naruto-kun." Naruto just blinked a few times, not really understanding what she was saying anymore.

"But… but that's the only place I have! I have nowhere else to go. Even if I don't want to, I have no other choice but to go back to the orphanage." Even though he had lived on the streets a few times, he couldn't in this season! It was getting colder and he would freeze to death…

"You're wrong." She said. Gaining all of his attention again. "You do have another place to go to."

Naruto's eyes widened as he racked his brain for where this other place could be.

"You have a place in this house." She started slowly. Making Naruto's eyes widen in realization.

"You have a place here with me. Stay for a week and decide then. Decide then whether you want to stay or go back okay?"

Naruto was just in a state of shock as he kept gaping at the smiling woman in front of him. Had she just… given _him_ a place to stay in _her home_? Him? Who was hated by everyone in the village?

"Why?" He wondered.

"Because I want you to be happy. I don't want them to hurt you anymore. I want you to have a home to return to. But… it's because I need someone like you in my life too. This house _is _kind of big, if it's only me, you know?" She told him with a smile on her face. Naruto's head was just racing with what he had heard. She wanted him to be happy, he was _needed_! And his eyes filled with tears again.

"Thank you, Tsukino-san!" He cried into her chest. "Thank you so much!" Miu just smiled at him gently and softly brushed through his blond looks with her fingers.

"No, thank you, Naruto-kun… and please, just call me Miu, okay?" He looked up at her and she softly brushed away his tears.

"Miu-san?" he asked her questioningly. And she just nodded.

"That should be fine for now." She told him. He just nodded, not really getting what she really meant. _I'm not gonna let you call me –san anymore, if I'm gonna adopt you._ She thought, grinning like an idiot. She was so happy! And Naruto noticed.

"Miu-san what's wrong." But she just kept on grinning.

"Nothing! I'm just glad you're here!" She told him with a big smile, making him smile too.

"I'm really glad too, Miu-san."

"Then, to celebrate our first day together, let's make a cake!" She told him, happily.

"Eh? A cake?" She just nodded and picked him up with him. "Yeah, a cake! What about chocolate? Or do you wanna make a strawberry one?" He just blinked a few times.

"Uhm, I haven't really eaten a cake before." He told her, making Miu freeze for a second, hurt spreading in her heart, but she quickly covered it up with a smile.

"Then, let's eat a chocolate cake today and make a strawberry one tomorrow! How does that sound?" He nodded with a smile on his face. "Sounds great, Miu-san!" He told her enthusiastically. And so they both started to make a cake.

Naruto helped her with mixing the batter, while Miu melted the chocolate.

"Naruto-kun? When's your birthday?" She asked him. He blinked at that. His birthday?

"October 10th." He replied a little unsure.

He had only bad memories of that day. People beating him up, him hiding away, that dark, dark room.

Miu suddenly froze, her eyes comically widened and she suddenly pointed the spatula at him, making him jump in shock.

"But, but… that's in a _few days already_!" She said with a panicked look on her face. It was already the fourth! "Ah! I have to make preparations for a cake and find you an amazing birthday present. I'll give you a party, but it'll be pretty boring with just the two of us! Agh, what do I do!" She asked as she dramatically raised her hands to the heavens.

"Pff…" Miu looked back at Naruto who was hiding his giggles behind his hand. She looked so shocked that he just started laughing harder.

"Oi, why are you laughing?! Do you think my misery is funny, you little brat!" She said playfully before she snatched him of the chair and started tickling him. "Aaaah!" He shouted and tried to get away from her tickling hands, laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face. "P-please s-stop, Miu-saaan~~~" He said between laughing. She just grinned at him and momentarily let him catch his breath.

"Miu-san… Your face was just too funny!" he said before he got another giggle fit and this time she just started to laugh with him.

When they both calmed down, Naruto turned to her. "Miu-san are you really going to celebrate my birthday?" He asked her, a little hope in his voice that didn't go unnoticed by her. Why would she do that? She had only known him for a few hours. Why was she doing this for him? He just didn't understand.

"Why not Naruto-kun? Every birthday is something to celebrate. It's the day you were born, of course I would want to celebrate it!" She told him, but Naruto just shook his head.

"But so many people died on my birthday! Isn't that one of the reasons why so many people hate me?" He asked her. _Ah… Of course he would think that. If people only treated him worse on the days around his birthday, of course he would come to the conclusion that his birthday was one that shouldn't be celebrated_' And Miu felt a strange sense of understanding. The clan massacre had happened on her 12th birthday after all. When her parents and her had been training and travelling around those four years after, she hadn't wanted to celebrate it either.

"You know, Naruto-kun. Even if I may have known you for only a few hours, I really like you. You're really cute and nice and I am _really _glad that I met you. When people are glad that you're here, they'll celebrate your birthday. Even if others died on your birthday. I want to thank your parents and Kami that I was able to meet you. It's a very, very happy occasion."

"You really think so, Miu-san?" He asked her with hopeful eyes. She nodded. "Yeah, and I want to celebrate it together with you. You won't be alone this birthday, I promise." She told him as she took his hand in her. "If you're staying from now on, then we'll always celebrate your birthday together." His eyes lit up at that. Seriously this kid was so cute and his baby blue eyes looked so thankful and at ease, so lonely, that she just couldn't help herself and gave him a peck on his forehead. Just like her parents had done to her. "You okay, kiddo?" For a moment he looked bewildered and then he smiled at her. It was such a sunny and bright smile that it warmed her heart and she smiled back. "I'm fine, Miu-san." She nodded.

She got up again, putting Naruto on his chair again. "Here, you can fill up the baking form, but be careful, alright?" He nodded, his face serious. She helped him a bit, and then she put the cake into the oven. "When it's done and cooled down, we'll decorate it, okay?" Naruto nodded enthusiastically at that. He couldn't wait!

Miu got out the ingredients for the icing and started mixing them together.

"Ne, Naruto-kun?" Naruto looked up from the bowl he was cleaning. This batter was seriously delicious!

"Yeah?"

"What's your favorite color?" She asked him with a grin. Making Naruto silent for a second. That was the first time anyone asked him that.

"I like blue. But I like orange too." He told her. "And you, Miu-san?"

"I love blue too. But I like green. You know Naruto-kun, my whole clan had green eyes." She told him, surprising Naruto.

"Really? Then why are your eyes blue, Miu-san?"

"It's because of the special powers I have. It's called a Kekkei Genkai or bloodline limit. You know, like those people with the white eyes for example, or the ones with black hair and eyes that can turn red." Naruto's eyes widened at that.

"Ah! I know who you're talking about! But they're all kind of scary, Miu-san." She just nodded. And motioned for him to get closer.

"I think so too!" She secretly stage whispered into his ear. "But don't tell them that!"

She had a silly grin on her face making Naruto giggle with joy. "I won't!" he whispered back at her. And they both had to laugh.

They both went to the living room, and talked while their cake was baking. She got out some paper for them to draw on and Naruto happily started drawing a cat that looked strangely like a fox. _Huh._

"Have you been to the park before, Naruto-kun?" She asked him while drawing a portrait of the small boy in front of her. Naruto paused with his drawing to answer her. "I have, but I always went alone." He told her, a bit of sadness in his voice.

"Then we'll go tomorrow! How does that sound? Ah, and we'll go shopping for you too. I have to get you some pajama's, a few pair of new clothes, some new shoes, a toothbrush…" She told him, while she mentally made a list. Naruto was just staring at her in shock. She was going to buy him something! That had never happened before too! And then he realized that since meeting this woman, so many things happened and he had already taken a liking to her. He felt like grinning and shouting to the world that he was getting new clothes tomorrow, but then he suddenly remembered and his face fell.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Miu-san…" He told her softly. "People always glare at me and they always kick me out of their store, even if I would want to buy something."

Miu narrowed her eyes at this. Were those people serious? Not letting him into their store? She calmed herself down and gave him a gentle smile.

"You don't have to worry about that, Naruto-kun. When you're with me, no one will say anything to you and remember you're not going out alone tomorrow. I'll protect you and I'll be there with you. So let's have some fun tomorrow too, okay?" She told them, while patting him on his head.

Would she really do that? He looked her in the eyes and saw the sincerity. She cares… He nodded shyly before giving her a foxy grin. "Thank you, Miu-san!" She just grinned back at him. "No problem, Naruto-kun!"

She turned her drawing to Naruto, who gasped. "Wow! Is that us, Miu-san?" He asked her with a twinkle in his eyes. "You can draw so good! It's so pretty!" He took the drawing from her, it looked like a picture. On it were Naruto and Miu, they were eating cake together. They were both smiling and looking like they were having a lot of fun. "You can have it, you know. I made it for you!" his eyes widened at that. "Really? For me?" And when she nodded. He grinned at her "Thank you so much, Miu-san! I love it!"

"That's good!" She grinned back at him. And just at that moment the timer for the cake went off. They both went into the kitchen and both their mouths started to water at the smell of chocolate. She put the cake on a cooling rack and turned to Naruto. "Let it cool down first and then we'll decorate it, okay?" Naruto's shoulders slumped at that. "Aww, but I wanna decorate it _now_!" She just smiled at him behaving like the kid he was supposed to be and picked him up from the ground. "No, Naruto-kun, we have to wait, or else the decorations will melt you know? And then the whole cake would be ruined! So let's wait for a bit okay?" Naruto just nodded with a pout. "Okay, Miu-san." He didn't want the cake to be ruined after all!

Miu looked at the kid looking longingly at the cake. Maybe she should tell him now, better get it done sooner than later. "Ne, Naruto-kun." Naruto turned to look at her and she went to sit down with him on the couch. "I wanted to tell you something." Would he still want to stay after this? Was he prepared to really stay alone?

"You know, I'm a ninja. I help protecting the village and the villagers." His eyes widened at this and a grin spread on his face.

"Really?! That's so cool, Miu-san! you're probably reaaaaaally strong! I want to become a ninja too!" She smiled at that.

"Ah, I'm not _that_ strong, you know. And that's awesome Naruto-kun! I can teach you a lot of things, if you want. I'll make sure that you become a great ninja!" And he grinned. "Yay! Thank you Miu-san!"

"But, Naruto, I'm going to tell you some bad points about living with me. Just listen to me." She said before he could interrupt her. "I'm an active shinobi, so that means that I go on missions. I'm only Chuunin rank, and I had been thinking about taking the Jounin exams, but I'm going to wait until you join the academy. My missions are mostly out of the village and could range from two days to almost three weeks. For that time, you'll be living here alone. You can go out to play in the park and I really hope that when I'm here, you can make friends with other kids your age. I can get my friends to bring you dinner and I'll teach you how to make simple things like rice with curry and omelets and onigiri." She looked at him and saw him taking everything in. "Do you understand, Naruto-kun?" After a few minutes of silence, she was about to ask him again when he asked her.

"Why are you taking the Jounin exams when I'm in the academy?"

"I'm not taking the Jounin exams now because I would get a lot more difficult missions and they would be a lot longer. So I won't be with you as much as I would like to. When you're in the academy the time you spend alone will be much less and you'll be busy with homework. One good thing about being Chuunin though, is that you can take a job in the village too. So I'm hoping that the Hokage will let me work in the hospital or give me guard duty or something." She sighed.

"So… you still want to stay?" He closed his eyes in thought and she felt herself getting a little scared. Her heart squeezed tightly at the thought of living alone again. With him around it felt less empty. It really felt like a home. But when he opened his eyes and grinned at her, all her worries melted away.

"If you're gone on a mission Miu-san, I'll take care of the house and I'll wait for you to come home. Because when I get to be a ninja, you'll wait for me too, right?" She smiled, feeling stupid for getting scared, after all this kid was not one to easily let go.

"Thanks, kiddo. And of course I'll wait for you." And they both grinned at each other. It looks like they both wanted him to stay, not even thinking that he could leave anymore. But Miu would still wait a week before making it official.

When the cake was done, they decorated it together. The two of them were enjoying themselves greatly. And when they were finally done they sat down on the dining table. Miu had made a cup of tea for herself and poured a glass of milk for Naruto-kun. They both shouted an 'Itadakimasu' before digging in. "This is so yummy!" Naruto cried with a blissful look on his face. Miu just nodded. "Yummy, indeed. Ah, I love chocolate!"

When they were done eating, they both went upstairs. Miu went and tucked Naruto into his bed.

"Ah, I almost forgot to tell you. I always wake up really early for a morning run, but I'll probably be back before you even wake up. And after breakfast a good friend of mine is coming over. We're going to spar together for a bit and then we'll go out together, okay?" Naruto looked a bit scared at the mention of someone else coming over. But Miu thought the contact would be good for him. He had to see that there were people he could trust. That not everybody hated him. Anko had been an outcast too, since Orochimaru had defected from the village. The villagers and even some of the ninjas thought that she had always been an accomplice and they treated her like a traitor. That dango shop was the only one that served her food without making a fuss about it. Of course their other friends, Kurenai, Genma, Hayato, Ibiki, Yugao and many of the other ninjas knew that she wasn't and accepted her like she was. She was a crazy bitch, but she got lonely easily, she was a very good listener, and she was the type that said things right to your face. She liked that about Anko. She wouldn't look at Naruto like how the others did. She had experienced the same after all.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun, She's a very nice person. Someone that's won't hurt you, okay?" And Naruto nodded. He decided to trust Miu-san, so if she thought that person was good, then she had to be. "Okay, Miu-san."

"My room is just across this one, if you need something come to me anytime, okay?" He just nodded. She kissed him on his forehead and gently combed through his hair with her fingers. "Good night, Naruto-kun. Sweet dreams." He smiled at her tiredly.

"Goodnight, Miu-san…" He closed his eyes and just like that, he was already asleep.

Miu slowly walked out of the room and gently closed the door behind her. With a small smile on her face, she went to her own room and sat down on her desk. Damn it! She still hadn't finished that seal!

It was a medical seal, she had been working on. It had been designed to stop the blood flow from a wound, so that doctors could heal them before patients bled out. She had come up with the idea when a woman she was helping deliver almost died of blood loss. Should she have been just a little bit slower in taking action that time, both the mother and the baby would have been lost.

But she was wondering how to put everything together, there were too many things that she was applying at the same time. But there should be a way to balance them… and then her eyes lit up with realization. That was it! She should just put the seals around each other, locking them that way and _then _putting a containment barrier around it.

She carefully applied some quick strokes to the scroll in front of her and put down her brush to look at it. It looked like a sun inside of a spikey planet. She checked if all the functions balanced out well and when they did, she smiled at her work. This could save the lives of a lot of people. Civilians and ninjas alike. She had been working on it for weeks now, designing each part carefully. She really wanted to have it finished tonight. She would tell the Hokage about it tomorrow. For now though, she went to take a shower and then went downstairs, opening the back door to her beautiful back yard. It was a training area on one side, but a garden on the other. And even though it was already fall, a lot of flowers were still in full bloom…

Now that she thought about it, she could have shown Naruto this place. Oh well, she'd show him tomorrow. Miu walked up to one of the stumps on the left side of her training field. She easily jumped on top of it and sat down to meditate. She had been doing this kind of exercise for years. To hone her sensory abilities, she went into a meditative stance and tried to sense the chakra around her.

As she closed her eyes, her body went into a trance as she could _feel_ everything in the air. First there was the flowers, her home, the barrier around it. When she reached out further, she found animals in the woods around her, people on the streets. She became one with the wind, using her wind affinity to sense every leaf, every insect, every house, every person, she carried herself further and further until she could almost sense the whole of Konoha.

It was then that it got difficult. She had to filter the sounds, the feel of everything. She searched around cafes and bars, and there. She found her. A triumphant smile covered her face as she found the familiar chakra of her friends. By sensing like this, she could feel they were enjoying themselves. Filtering out the rest, she could hear their heartbeats, smell the sake they were drinking, see their smiling faces. She gently let her chakra caress their faces, only feelings of warmth making it through.

* * *

In Shushuya a group of friends sat drinking and talking together. They were all enjoying the Yakitori when they suddenly felt a soft breeze playfully ruffling their hair and clothes, gently caressing their faces. "That's Miu-chan, isn't it?" Yugao asked, and she felt as if the wind was patting her on her head. "I guessed right. And she can even hear us." She told them. Anko just grinned at the wind. "Oi, Miu! If you're done with working, get your ass in here." The wind seemed to laugh as it all playfully ruffled their hair again. And just as soon as it came, it was gone. Leaving a smile on their faces.

* * *

Miu smiled, but didn't take them up on their invitation. She instead went to another part of the village. The apartment of the person she had been waiting for was still empty. She wanted to see him. She wanted to see him so bad… 'When are you coming home?' She asked him in her mind.

A little slower than before, she let her senses travel to the office of the village leader. She entered through the window, the Sandaime was still working. From reading his chakra, she could sense that he was bored. That's why she decided to annoy him a bit. With a grin on her face, she ruffled the Sandaime's clothes, letting his hat fly away through the room. She touched the ANBU hiding in the shadows. The Sandaime's chakra brightened up a bit as he smiled. "Miu… Good to see you got home safe. I hope I'll get that mission report tomorrow." She flew his hat in front of his, and gave a nod with it, before placing it pack on top of his head. The wind whispered a good night to him, before disappearing from the window.

She directed the wind to her own house and to the room where Naruto was sleeping. She gently caressed him too. His chakra was peaceful, indicating that he was having a good dream. She gently brushed his hair, before opening her eyes with a smile.

It was unbelievable what she could do with her wind affinity. This had been a technique that she had been developing for eight years. Her clan and her parents never knew about it. Only a handful in the village knew. She could use it for information gathering, but she could also use it for killing a big group of enemy ninjas. she herself could choose how sharp her wind was. This had been one of the abilities granted to her by her Kekkei Genkai. An ability to control the wind, up to the point of mastering it. She jumped of the log, she had been standing on and summoned her katana from the seal on her wrist. She unsheathed it, and starting going through her kata's slowly, gradually adding more speed, until she was a blur.

When she was done, she was breathing slightly harder. Her skin slightly damp from the sweat. She sighed and let herself fall onto the luscious grass, looking up at the beautiful night sky. There were a lot of starts tonight. She smiled as she watched them, feeling a peacefulness engulf her.

After what seemed like an eternity she got up, took a shower and went straight to bed. Looking forward to tomorrow.

**A/N: **Tell me what you think, people! I'll try to update as soon as I have time! ^_^


	3. Chapter 3: You're not alone anymore

**A/N: **Well, here's the next chapter for SWC! Thank you Challa for beta reading it! And thanks to the people that reviewed, favorited and followed me and my story!

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto, however this story and the OC are mine.

**Chapter 3: You're not alone anymore**

As the first rays of sunlight broke through the dark sky, Tsukino Miu opened her eyes. She yawned and stretched herself. Smiling at how amazing it felt to be sleeping in a bed again. She had no problem with sleeping in trees or tents, but a bed would always be a bed. Her smile disappeared as she felt a piercing pain in her head.

"Ugh…" She rolled over and slowly massaged her temples and soothed the pain with a bit of medical chakra. Damn, she shouldn't have used that technique for so long. It was still a work in progress and she had noticed that there were always a bunch of aftereffects. She would have to revise the technique _again. _She sighed dramatically before rolling around, a little frustrated.

"Dammit! Why didn't it work~!" She stopped moving and just lay there staring at her ceiling with a frown on her face. It was at times like this that she missed having her parents around. She sighed again, before she got up and went to take a shower.

She put on her ninja clothes, consisting of Jounin pants and a formfitting sleeveless shirt; she wore the blue sash with her clan emblem on it around her waist. She wrapped her upper arms and shins, but left her kunai and shuriken pouches for now, opting for carrying a few of them in the seals on her wrists instead. She put her long black hair up in a high ponytail, her bangs framing her face. She went to Naruto's room and silently checked up on him. She smiled as he was still sleeping soundly, his chakra still peaceful. She closed the door silently and went downstairs, put on her ninja sandals and began her run around the village.

She met up with Gai on her second lap. The green clad ninja blurred past her, just like the first time she had met him. He stopped a few meters away from her, greeting her with a blinding smile.

"Good morning, Miu-san! I see you're back from your youthful mission!" Miu grinned at him as they ran in synch.

"I came back yesterday, Gai. How was your mission?" She asked him as they both completed another lap.

"It was very youthful! We chased away those unyouthful bandits and saved those youthful villagers!" She chuckled at his way of overenthusiastic explaining. And she decided to ask him about his rival.

"Ne, Gai, have you had any challenges with Kakashi lately?" Gai just shook his head.

"No! Sadly I have not! My youthful rival has become even more youthful than me! He has been on a mission for seven months already! When he gets back, I'll challenge him to another most youthful challenge! I _will _win this time!" He cried to the skies, before speeding up and disappearing out of her sight.

She just shook her head at his antics, a small smile on her face.

'Seven months, huh?'

Ever since she had arrived in Konoha that day six months ago, the one she really wanted to see was Kakashi. She missed him; she wanted to see him again. She sighed as she looked up at the beautiful morning sky. The sun was just coming up, painting it in a pink and orange hue. 'I wish you'd come home soon…' She silently whispered in her heart. And somehow she knew he would.

Her smile widened and she speeded up. After a minute of intensive running she caught up with Gai, who was shouting challenges to the forest around him. "…If I lose I'll run up and down the Hokage mountain on my hands, while carrying…" She tuned him out as she ran at his pace again. After they finished another 40 laps, Miu was nearing her limit.

"Hey, Gai, Let's see who can run the last five laps the fastest!" Gai nodded enthusiastically at that.

"I, Maito Gai, will definitely not lose, if I do I will do 500 pushups on my hands and after that I will run 50 laps around the village!" She just grinned at him, as they both stopped at Konoha's main gate.

"No using the gates, no deactivating gravity seals or weights. That's it, right?" He nodded and threw a pebble. When it touched the ground the two of them set off. They both kept running in synch, before Miu suddenly smirked at him and darted off. Gai knew that if he gave Miu a head start, he wouldn't catch up anymore. That's why he boosted up his tempo and threw a running nice guy pose at her back.

"I'll catch up to your powerful flames of youth, Miu-san! I will burn just as bright as you, for I am the green beast of Konoha!" He exclaimed. Miu, who was grinning at his speech, threw a thumbs up at him.

"Come and get me, Gai! But you'll have to go a lot faster if you want to do that!" She shouted back, before she moved her body lower to the ground and _ran_. Gai was left looking at the trail that Miu left behind and ran his hardest to catch up with her.

When he arrived at the finish line, Miu was already there, stretching her body and trying to control her breathing. He gave her another nice guy pose.

"That was an excellent morning run, Miu-san! As I lost I will do 500 pushups on my hands and after that I will run 50 laps around the village!" He exclaimed, before he flipped over into a handstand and started. She smiled at him.

"Good luck, Gai! I'm going home for today, okay? I'll see you tomorrow!"

"… 45, 46, … Sure, Miu-san! See you tomorrow! 47, 48…" She waved at him one last time and left.

She was totally worn out. Gai could really drive her to her limits if she ran with him, and it was fun. Anko always told her how amazing it was that she could keep up with him, but that was how the clan had trained her. They had started training her the moment she could walk and speak. Their training methods had been relentless. If she failed, her punishments were harsh.

Miu had been trained in Taijutsu and Kenjutsu the most. Between her training she would always go to her clan's library. She had an amazing arsenal of wind jutsu's, spiced up with earth, fire, lightning and water techniques. When her clan had died, and she and her parents left on a training trip, her father had taught her the art of sealing, while her mother had taught her medical ninjutsu. Just before they came to Konoha, she had earned her title as a seal master after four whole years of studying and developing new seals.

And she came to absolutely _love _sealing. It was something that she really _enjoyed _doing. If the one drawing the seal had some imagination, they could do almost anything with it. That's why she had started to integrate her ninjutsu and medical jutsu's into the seals she made. She used seals for a lot of things, she had multiple on her own body. Some were simple storage seals, while she also had more complicated ones.  
Like the gravity seals her father had done for her when she had been eight. Every few months she would turn them up a level and because she had been wearing them for years, she was probably around Gai's level of speed when he would open all the gates. And unlike Gai's gates, these seals didn't damage her body, as the speed she had when she released them were her own power.

Honestly she could have been a Jounin from the moment she came here, but she hadn't wanted that. She'd felt that she wasn't ready to lead a whole team of genin yet, as she herself had never really worked in a team before. She was used to doing things by herself. That's why she decided to be a Chuunin first. That way she could learn to follow a leader and then be a team leader herself. And she was glad she did, she had learned a lot about how Konoha worked. It was kind of difficult at first; trusting people with watching her back had been a slow process, but she had slowly adapted.

Miu looked up at the sky and enjoyed the gentle October wind. Konoha was still fairly quiet. Only the really early risers were awake, opening their shops and putting out their displays for the day. Miu would make Naruto some delicious breakfast. Maybe pancakes? Or just some eggs? She smiled at the thought of the kid sleeping in her home. She wouldn't be coming home to an empty house. That thought made her move faster. She wanted to see the little guy. Maybe even give him a big-I'm-home-hug. A silly smile crossed her face at the happiness she was feeling, ignoring the people who were staring at her like she had finally gone nuts.

She unsealed her gates and slipped inside, locking them behind her again. She opened the door and toed off her sandals, slipping into warm slippers. She made a mental note to get Naruto a pair too. She went into the kitchen and checked if she had everything to prepare a good breakfast. After that, she went upstairs to take a shower and changed into a clean pair of her ninja clothes.

When she was done, she went to Naruto's room, quietly opening the door. She made her way to the window and opened the curtains, letting the light into the room. She then made her way to the bed and watched the sleeping boy. He was curled up in a fetal position, his cute face peaceful. She smiled at him, before she gently shook his shoulder.

"Naruto-kun, wake up."

He slowly opened his eyes, squeezing them shut again at the light filling the room.

"Ung…" was his unintelligible reply, making Miu smile.

"Naruto-kun~" She called again, drawing out the name.

Naruto didn't want to wake up, but this gentle voice kept calling him… He cracked opened a single eye, looking straight into the warm blue eyes of the person in front of him. He opened his other eye in question and was wondering if he was still sleeping. This wasn't the orphanage. And it wasn't the hospital either. Where was he again? He looked around the room and suddenly remembered what had happened yesterday.

"Miu-san…" He said with a sleepy smile. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, making Miu squeal at the cuteness. When he was a bit more awake, he turned to her. She was grinning from ear to ear and he wondered what she was laughing at.

"Ne, Naruto-kun, I'm going to make you some breakfast, so you go clean up a bit and then we'll go eat together, okay? C'mon I'll show you where the bathroom is." She took him to the room next to his. She turned on the lights and revealed a blue and white tiled bathroom. She showed him how the shower worked and how to turn on the hot and cold water.

"Naruto-kun, I'm going to take your shirt for a second. It's ripped at the sides, so I'll sew it for now. We'll get you a new one later, okay?"  
He nodded, still a bit groggy.

"Thank you, Miu-san."

"Call me if you need anything, okay?" He nodded and she left him. She closed the door behind her. She was a bit worried, normally kids his age wouldn't know how to shower themselves, but looking at the fact that he had been living in the orphanage and how the caretakers there had hated him, he had probably learned to do most things on his own.

She made her way to her own room and searched for the scroll where she kept her sewing supply. She quickly sewed the tears in his shirt and made her way back to the bathroom. Just then Naruto came out, his hair was still dripping wet and his face was a bit flushed. "Naruto-kun? What's wrong?" Naruto looked up and smiled at her.

"The water… it was so warm! I could have stood there all day!" He said with a big smile. She smiled back at him, ignoring the pang in her heart.

"Kiddo, that's totally normal. You should shower with warm water, otherwise you'll get cold, right? And you could have stayed a bit longer.  
Man, you shower even faster than me!" She told him with a grin.

She took his hand and went to his room. She put him down on his bed, and crouched down in front of him. She frowned at his wet hair.  
"Naruto, you have to dry your hair properly or you'll catch a cold, you know." She took his towel and rubbed his hair dry. He loved the feeling of her fussing over him and just grinned at her. She pulled the fixed shirt over his head and he smiled at her in wonder.

"Thank you for the shirt Miu-san. It looks as good as new!" She shook her head.

"It's nothing, kiddo. C'mon let's go eat some breakfast, ne?"

She took Naruto downstairs and led him into the kitchen. He sat down by the table and watched as Miu took out a heating pan. She turned to him. "Ne, Naruto-kun, what do you want to eat? Pancakes or eggs?"

"Pancakes, please!" She smiled at his enthusiastic reply.

"A plate of pancakes, coming right up!" She started mixing the eggs, milk and flour together. She made them swiftly and efficiently and Naruto watched in amazement as she flipped them over and caught them with ease. Miu just smiled as she put on a bit of a show for Naruto. When she was done, she put a plate full of pancakes in front of him, just as his stomach growled. He laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. And she just giggled.

"Naruto-kun, do you want chocolate sauce or apple syrup on your pancakes?" He struck a thinking pose - placing his chin between his thumb and ring finger and closing his eyes in thought - which she found absolutely adorable.

"Apple syrup, please!" She covered his pancakes and her own with apple syrup. An "Itadakimasu!" was shouted and they quickly dug in; Miu with a cup of tea and Naruto with a glass of milk.

"Wow, this is delicious! Thank you, Miu-san!" He told her with a beaming smile.

"Right? I think so too! I love pancakes!" She told him.

"Ah, there's still enough cake from yesterday, so if you want a piece, don't hesitate to ask, okay?" He nodded.

"Ne, Miu-san, you told me a friend of yours was coming over, right?" He asked as he took another bite of his pancakes.

"Yeah. I promised to spar with her." Naruto just looked at her questioningly and she smiled at his innocence.

"A training match. We'll be fighting against each other to train. If you want to, you can watch." Naruto frowned at that.

"She won't hurt you, right?" Miu grinned at him. Was he worried about her?

"We'll probably hurt each other a bit, that's normal in a spar Naruto-kun. But of course, we won't hurt each other very much. It's only training and we're still friends, you know. And if one of us does get hurt, I'll heal the wounds right away, just like I healed yours. So don't worry about it, okay?" He nodded; glad that the other lady wouldn't hurt his Miu-san.

Naruto just started eating his piece of chocolate cake when the doorbell rung, making Naruto jump in shock and Miu chuckled at his reaction.

"I'll get it." She went to the front door and her best friend just walked right in, just like she always did.

"Anko!" She hissed, before yanking her friend back to the hall. She had to tell her before she would enter and see Naruto.

"I have something to tell you first." She said, before her friend could start to protest. Anko just raised an eyebrow.

"Is it a guy? If it is, then that's no problem. I'll just go and see if he's really that suitable for…"

"It's not!" Miu interrupted her sometimes insane friend.

"Uzumaki Naruto." She told her directly. Anko's eyes widened at the name. "I'm thinking of adopting him."

"You're talking about _that _kid right?" Anko hissed. "Miu that's insane! You can't just go and adopt the jinch…"

"_Don't _call him that." She hissed back. "And we'll talk about this later. First come in and meet him." She told her, before going back into the

house. Anko followed behind her, a bit angry at her friend. She was making a stupid decision, definitely! She had never met the kid, but she knew what everyone thought about him. The villagers _hated _him. Some ninja's had wanted him _dead_. If Miu was even thinking about adopting him, she would only be making her life more difficult.

Her name would most likely help her a lot. Everyone knew that she came from a prestigious clan that had good ties with the daimyo and the Hokage. Her clan members had helped a lot during the war, which had also been a good point. Her clan had been killed before they could become a part of Konoha, which had made her a famous survivor. But dammit, her reputation could go down the drain! The villagers, the council, the ninja's that respected her, everyone would start thinking badly of her. It had happened when Miu had decided to become friends with her too.

They both entered the kitchen and Anko was met with the sight of a cute sun-kissed blond kid eating chocolate cake. His big blue eyes looked up curiously. She was so shocked that she even stumbled a bit. _This _was the demon that everyone hated? What the hell! The only things that could even give him away for being the container to the most frightening beast were those three whisker-like markings on his cheeks.

Naruto got off his seat and walked towards the stranger. He looked up and smiled, albeit a bit hesitant and still with a bit of wariness in his eyes.

"Hello! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, pleased to meet you!" He told her and his smile widened into a grin. She crouched down to his level and grinned back at him, only a bit more sadistically, making Naruto take a step back.

"Well, hello there. The names Mitarashi Anko." Anko decided against doing anything more _fun _with this kid, as she felt Miu sending off some very threatening vibes. She just got up instead and plopped down on a seat.

"I want some chocolate cake too, Miu-chan!" she called, making Miu roll her eyes behind her friend as she moved to get her friend some chocolate cake.

"You want some tea with that?" Anko just nodded, as she scarfed down the piece of cake like it was nothing.

"Naruto-kun, don't ever eat like her, okay? It's very impolite and it looks _disgusting_." She playfully emphasized. Anko just ignored her friend and kept gobbling up the cake.

"Man, that was delicious! Your cakes are the best, Miu!" She told her friend with a big satisfied smile, before taking a sip of her green tea. Anko took another look at the kid sitting there and she wondered what she had to think right now. As she watched them both interacting, she saw that the kid was happy, ecstatic even to be talking to Miu. And Miu had such a caring look on her face, that it even made her smile.

They looked like siblings already…

Miu had no family and she could understand that she wanted to adopt a kid, but why now? She was doing so well with her missions and she had been building up a pretty fearsome reputation outside the village. The villagers were starting to like her because she was polite and worked hard in the hospital if she wasn't on missions. They liked to see that ninjas not only killed and destroyed, but could heal and mend as well.

But the moment she would announce that the kid would be hers, she would practically be committing social and political suicide. Anko knew that it shouldn't be like that, but that was how Konoha worked. The council would oppose it, especially those three old dustbags and then there were the villagers who would shout bloody murder. But Anko knew that once Miu had made up her mind, she wouldn't be discouraged anymore. She could be so headstrong sometimes and wasn't afraid to step up and fight for what she believed in. That was the reason she had taken a liking to the older girl in the first place. And Anko would probably stick with her 'till the end. She could be pretty headstrong too after all. She got up and grinned at Miu, gaining her attention.

"Let's spar now!" She told her and Miu nodded.

"Wait for a bit, I'll go and get my pouches." Before she went, she opened the back door and motioned for them to look. She then left a gaping Naruto and an indifferent Anko to get along.

Naruto walked onto the porch with an amazed expression. The garden was _huge_! On one side there were flowers, while on the other side there were was an open field with three tree stumps standing on the side. Naruto went up to the flower side and gazed at them. He noticed that the garden actually went back to the front of the house. He looked back at the stranger, still with an ecstatic grin on his face.

"The garden here is awesome! Don't you think so too, Mitarashi-san?" She nodded.

"It is." She went to the training side of the garden and started doing some kata's to warm up. Naruto watched in awe as she quickly moved and slashed, punched and kicked at an invisible enemy.

Naruto had been a bit scared of meeting someone new, but her eyes weren't cold like the villagers and he was thankful for that. She didn't seem to accept him completely, but she wasn't trying to kill him either. She could be a bit scary, though, but Miu-san didn't seem to mind it.

Miu walked outside just in time to see Anko ending her kata with a final slash to the invisible enemy's throat. She turned her attention to Naruto who had been watching Anko with amazement. She smiled at that and called him over. He turned around and came running up to her.

"Miu-san, Miu-san! Your garden is amazing! There are so many flowers here!"

She crouched down in front of him and patted his head. "That's because my mother loved gardening, Naruto-kun." She pointed at Anko.  
"We're going to spar now, if you want to watch it would be safest for you to stay here, or else sit down on the porch. Where do you want to sit?"

"I want to sit here!" He told her and promptly sat down next to a bunch of flowers. She nodded and got one of her scrolls out of the pouch that was strapped to her thigh. She unsealed a seal tag, made a few hand signs and slammed her hands down on the ground in front of Naruto. The seal glowed blue for a second, before returning to its normal color. She looked up and saw that Naruto was literally a human question mark.

She broke out in a loud laugh, making Anko turn to her friend to make sure she hadn't gone crazy. 'Nope, just fine.'

"It's a barrier seal, Naruto-kun. This way even if some of our techniques went out of control, they won't be able to hurt you."

She demonstrated by bringing her hand closer to his face. It was suddenly stopped, and the area where her hand was touching turned blue.

"See?" Naruto hesitantly brought his hand up and it stopped too. "I'll get you out after the fight okay?" He nodded, not really paying attention anymore. Fascinated, he started playing with the barrier. Miu grinned as she watched Naruto miming.

Miu went to her friend who had been warming up. Anko got up and smirked. Miu got into her fighting stance.

"Taijutsu only?" Miu asked. Anko nodded and got into her own fighting stance.

As if an unknown signal had been given, they both ran up to each other, flipping out a kunai and threw them at each other. They both quickly avoided it and turned around to face their opponent.

Miu lashed out her foot, while pivoting on the other. Anko dodged it quickly, and retaliated with a punch. Miu caught it and kicked Anko in the stomach, sending her skidding backwards. Anko did a handstand and threw a kunai, Miu's sharp eyes caught the tag that was trailing behind it and she quickly dodged the coming explosion.

Meanwhile, Naruto had lost interest in the barrier and was watching the fight with rapt attention.

"Oi, you shouldn't be using explosives in my yard dammit!" Miu shouted at Anko. Anko just shrugged and threw a pair of shuriken. Miu dodged and jumped up, using the smoke of the explosion as a cover before hitting Anko in the back with a kick.

"Damn…" Anko rolled out of the way, just before any of the incoming shuriken could hit her. She jumped back to her feet and was already in the middle of throwing a punch at her friend, who blocked it and elbowed her hard in the side. Anko took the hit and slammed the back of her kunai to Miu's shin.

Miu quickly jumped back. "That hurt, dammit!" If she had been an enemy, Anko would have pushed that kunai straight up her shin. But if Anko had been an enemy, Miu would have already chopped her to pieces with her sword.

Anko didn't let her opponent catch her breath and came right back at Miu. She sent her a flurry of punches, which Miu dodged, before ducking under her arms and kicking Anko's legs away from underneath her. Miu then quickly slammed the back of her kunai against her in the back, before pinning her down with her knee and pulling back her arm into a wristlock. Anko tried to get out from underneath her, but stopped when she felt the cold metal of a kunai against her neck.

"You lose, Anko-chan~" Miu got off her friend and helped her up. The two of them were breathing hard.

"We should spar again tomorrow; there are some new jutsu I want to show you." Miu told the younger girl. Anko nodded, and grinned at her.

"That was a pretty good spar." Anko then shot a look at Naruto. "I think we should have that talk now." Miu nodded and walked up to Naruto. She made a few hand seals and took down the barrier.

"Wow! Miu-san and Mitarashi-san, you were awesome! You went so fast! Ninja's are awesome! I really want to be one too!" Miu smiled at him and ruffled his locks again.

"You will be. I told you I'd train you, right? But you'll have to get a bit bigger before that, okay?" Naruto nodded so fast, Miu was kind of scared that his head would fall off.

"I'll get big really soon, Miu-san!" She laughed at that.

"Ne, Naruto-kun, I have to talk to Anko-chan for a moment, I'll take a shower and then we'll go shopping together, okay?" He nodded.

"Okay, Miu-san."

"Meanwhile, I'll turn the TV on for you. There should be something fun to watch." At this Naruto's eyes widened. The orphanage never had a television until recently, but he hadn't been allowed to watch with the other kids. Miu went inside and turned on the TV, giving him some paper and pencils to draw if he got bored.

"I'll be back in about ten minutes. If there's something wrong just give a call and I'll come down, okay?" Naruto nodded. He watched as a cat came on TV. Miu smiled and nodded at Anko. They went upstairs and entered Miu's bedroom, she closed the door and waited.

"Why?" was the first thing Anko asked. She wanted to know if this kid really was worth the trouble.

"I found him yesterday, just outside my house. He had been badly beaten up." Anko's stern expression faltered as her eyes widened.

"I took him in and healed him, after that I made him dinner. I found out that he ran away from the orphanage. Apparently the caretakers there were pretty much like the villagers. They isolated him from the other kids, gave him bad food, locked him up in a dark room, and when he did something _'wrong' _they hit him and beat him. When the Sandaime came over, he wasn't allowed to tell him what was going on. They threatened him with getting no food, beating up _other _kids to keep him quiet." Miu told her friend, her anger barely controlled.

"I seriously _can't believe _that they could hit and beat up a child. No matter how much they may hate the bastard fox." At this Anko's eyes widened again.

"First off, I seriously didn't know it was that bad. I knew he was hated, but I didn't know that he had been treated so badly…" It reminded her of her own treatment when she came back from the Land of the Sea. They had looked at her hatefully and refused to let her into their establishments, claiming that the traitor had no place there. She was starting to feel a little guilty at how easily she had brushed him off. No wonder the kid had looked at her with those eyes. Experiencing that as a child… it wasn't strange he became wary of people. But then she narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"Say, Miu, how the hell did you find out about the fox? That's supposed to be a village secret, you know. The Sandaime even made a law; no one is allowed to talk about Naruto being the Jinchuuriki to Naruto or anyone else. If you break it, it can have some pretty ugly consequences. There were some villagers one time that began ranting about the fox right in front of everyone and they were executed. Sometimes the villagers call him demon behind his back and when they think they're alone, but they don't get punished for it." Miu had a murderous look on her face.

"They call him that?! You can't be serious! And why the hell isn't the Sandaime executing those bastards?" She sighed and tried to calm down the rage she was feeling. The Sandaime hadn't told her about anything related to Naruto... She would ask him about that later. Miu turned back to Anko and answered her question.

"I kind of figured it out. I found the seals when I was healing him and I know about the fox attacking Konoha. I learned about Jinchuuriki's when I was studying sealing. I just put two and two together." She let out the part of her finding out who his parents were, because she had an inkling that, _that_ was a secret too and nobody seemed to know about it. Anko nodded at her explanation.

"Yeah, you're the type that could do that." Anko sighed. "You know what kind of consequences this will have, don't you." Miu nodded.

"Of course I do. But no matter what others will say I still want to take care of him, Anko. I just can't let that kid live like that anymore, I don't want him to think that he was only hated and unwanted. I don't care about reputation. I won't be able to live with myself to know that I could have prevented his loneliness and suffering. Other kids may have no parents, but they will eventually find a family, they will eventually make friends. They don't have a burden to carry like Naruto does. But if this guy is left alone, he'll always be alone. Nobody needs love more than this kid. But, on the other hand…" She pulled at her sash a bit as she smiled.

"I want to be a bit selfish and bring this kid into my home. I've always wanted a sibling. And since he's been here, this place feels so much more like home…" She didn't want to be alone anymore. That void deep in her heart, she wanted to close it. She wanted to fill it up with this kid that had so quickly become precious to her.

"I've given him a week. If he wants to leave, he'll go back to the orphanage. Of course I'll _request _that Naruto will be treated fairly, and if they don't…. But really, I just hope he wants to stay here. He doesn't really know that I'm planning on adopting him. He was shocked enough when I told him he could stay here. I'm telling the Hokage later this evening and I'll tell him when I come back. For now, only the Hokage will know about the adoption. I don't want the council messing with this. They, together with the rest of the village, can find out when the adoption's official. Because then they won't be able to do a thing about it." Miu told her with a serious expression. Anko stayed quiet for a moment.

"Well, I don't think you'll change your mind and I'm sure you'll take good care of him. So, I'm in. I've got nothing to lose. The villagers don't like me anyway. " She told her friend with a dramatic sigh and Miu's face lit up at that. She gave her a hug and they both grinned at each other.

"But remember you owe me one! I want dango and chocolate cake! And a lot of it too!" She added with a stern face. Miu just grinned at her.

"Of course! Thanks again, Anko!" She had been prepared to make some sacrifices for this kid, and it made her really glad that Anko would support her.

"Now go and make that little guy happy, _Miu-nee-chan_~" Miu's smile faltered at that, a surprised expression taking its place.

"D-don't call me that, dammit!" Miu shouted at her friend. She blushed and covered her face with her hands, a silly grin spreading on her face. Anko just laughed, enjoying seeing the other girl so flustered.

"Yeah, yeah, as if Blondie downstairs won't start calling you that soon enough. Well, I'm leaving. I'm going to see Kurenai." Miu nodded and walked Anko to the door.

"Thanks again, Anko. I'll let you know what the Sandaime said tomorrow. And the others can know Naruto's staying here, but don't mention anything about adoption yet. I want to tell them myself." She nodded at that.

"Bye, Bye Miu! See you tomorrow!" She waved her friend goodbye and went back inside.

'_Miu-nee-chan_, huh?' She giggled like an idiot again and skipped inside, the silly grin still plastered on her face.

"Naru-chaaaan~!" Naruto looked up, blinking a few times at the nickname.

"Miu-san, what's wrong? Are you okay?" He asked with a concerned look on his face. She looked a bit red, and _why _was she smiling like that.

"Totally fine!" She picked him up and gave him a hug. Naruto squealed in surprise, laughing as she started dancing through the room.

"Miu-san, what happened? He asked through his giggles. She was acting a bit funny.

"Nothing much~" She told him in a singsong voice. "Ah, I have to go take a shower! And then we can go out~!" She kissed him on the forehead, put him down and skipped right out of the room again.

Naruto watched her leave with a grin on his face. _What _just _happened? _He just shook his head and went back to watch TV.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto and Tsukino Miu were totally ready to go out. Miu sealed a sealing scroll for the groceries and shopping bags in one of storage seals on her wrist. Why carry it if you can seal it away after all?

"Let's get going, Naruto!"

He grinned at her and nodded. "Yeah! Let's go!"

They both put on their sandals and Miu opened the front door, giving Naruto the chance to finally see the front of the house. His eyes widened in surprise as they went into the beautiful garden. There were still some flowers in bloom, even though it was already fall. The leaves of the cherry blossom trees that lined the path to the gate, made a beautiful path of red and orange.

"Wow, Miu-san, there are so many flowers over here too!" She nodded and smiled.

"I told you before didn't I? My mother absolutely _loved _gardening. She was practically obsessed with it. It calmed her down. If you want, you can help out with tending to them." He looked up at her with wide blue eyes and gave her one of his foxy grins.

"Yeah! I want to help!" Miu smiled at that.

When they reached the gates, Naruto noticed a kanji etched into both of the gate doors.

"Miu-san, what's that?" He asked while pointing at the kanji.

"It's a barrier seal, Naruto-kun. I've made quite some enemies over the years. That's why I seal off my home when I leave it. It erects a barrier over the house so no one can enter without me. Of course I've modified it so that people I know, like Anko, can enter without worrying. But it's always unlocked when I'm still in the house. There are also sensory seals placed along the fences and garden, so I know when someone steps into my property. If you're planning on staying, I'll have to alter the seal so that you can open it too." He nodded and his heart warmed at the fact that maybe, this could become his real home.

She opened the gates and closed them behind them. They walked through the last bit of forest before they were out on the streets.

"Hey Naruto. Here." She reached out her hand and Naruto just stared at her. "I wouldn't want you to get lost, you know." He nodded and hesitantly took it. A small smile covered his face. She squeezed his hand and he looked up at her.

"C'mon let's go!" His smile widened into a grin. Her hand was warm and soft, yet it held his so firmly. Somehow it gave him a sense of security. She seemed closer than before and it felt good. They started walking towards Konoha's shopping district, while she told him about the things they had to buy.

When they got to a more crowded place, Miu noticed the looks that Naruto was receiving. Slowly more and more of them started looking their way; looking at her with a questioning look, before shooting Naruto a murderous glare. Cold. These looks were so _freezing cold_. His shoulders slumped a bit, his eyes downcast. That happy twinkle that had been there before faded away and she felt so much pain at seeing him like this.

She squeezed his hand again, making him look up. She gave him a gentle smile.

"You're not alone anymore."

He shot her a grateful smile and stood straighter, the light coming back to his eyes. And barely noticeable, he squeezed her hand too. She squeezed back once more in reassurance as they made their way through the crowd. She saw how mothers pulled their children closer and how the people on the streets were giving them a wide birth.

Reading about it and actually seeing it happen were two different things. No book or warning could have prepared her for this. It was like she was in enemy territory. Unconsciously she had put up her guard and had drawn Naruto closer to her. She acted as if nothing was wrong and kept on talking about a shop where she knew they sold awesome clothes. But meanwhile she kept checking on potential attackers.

Her ears picked up on their hateful whispers.

"What is she doing together with the demon brat?"

"How _dare _that _thing _show his face here!"

"Oi, isn't that woman Tsukino-sensei? Why would she be with _that brat_?" The menacing undertones reminded her of a nightmare. Miu took a look around and watched the villager's eyes, their actions. Hate and fear. That was what she saw.

_Demon, scum, murderer, filth, monster, die, die, die…_

That was what those looks were screaming.

How the hell did this kid bear this? She shot him a look and saw that he was ignoring the villagers as best as he could, just listening to her talking instead. He was used to this. For him this was nothing more than an everyday occurrence, and it angered her more and more. How _dare _they treat him this way? But seeing this only strengthened her resolve. She would adopt him. She would take care of him. No one was going to hurt him anymore, not as long as she was there.

Thankfully there were people who looked at them and then went on with their own business. They didn't care about the demon boy. And she was kind of thankful at that. Just this many hateful looks was more than enough.

Miu steeled herself and went into the store she had been frequenting ever since she came to live here. The customers in the shop stopped what they were doing and she felt the tension rise. She ignored it and greeted the shopkeeper with a friendly voice, though her eyes seemed to glint in warning. He stood there, flabbergasted as they went along as if nothing had happened. Naruto seemed a bit uneasy, but was glad that the man hadn't kicked them out yet.

Miu took Naruto to the children's section and she found him three t-shirts. One orange, one black and one sky blue with the Konoha leaf printed on the first two and the will of fire symbol imprinted on the third one.

"What do you think?" She showed him and he smiled.

"I like them, Miu-san!" She nodded in agreement.

They searched further and Miu found Naruto a black zip-up sweater with a dark orange stripe along the sleeves and the Uzumaki swirl on the back. There was also a sleeveless blue and orange jacket which he liked, again with the Uzumaki swirl on the back. Then they found him two pairs of shorts; one black and one dark blue. A pair of black pants with a lot of pockets was also added to the shopping bag. And lastly a pair of dark blue pajama's decorated with a toad pattern.

"That should be about it, right?" Miu went through her mental list one more time and remembered to get him some slippers too.

"Naruto-kun, we should get you some slippers too. What color do you want?" Naruto looked over the collection of indoor slippers and picked out a simple blue pair.

"That one, Miu-san." She nodded and added them to her shopping bag.

Naruto was confused and a little overwhelmed. No one had ever bought him anything.

"Miu-san, are you sure?" She gave him a questioning look and he gestured at the pile of clothes in her hands. She grinned at him.

"Naruto, I have more than enough money. You only deserve the best. And besides, you can't live in a single pair of clothing, you know." Miu nodded at Naruto.

"I think we got everything from here." She put everything on the counter and the shopkeeper quickly started scanning the products.

He was confused as to what to do. Tsukino-san had been a regular customer and had always been very nice. But she was with the demon this time… that would hurt the reputation of his establishment. Even his mere presence was scaring away customers. But… if he looked at the demon child talking so intimately with Miu-hime, he almost seemed like a normal four-year-old. Well except for the whisker marks. He frowned. What the hell was he supposed to think?

"Sir, are you okay?" The kind voice of the lady in front of him snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Ah, yes, Tsukino-san. I'm sorry. I got a bit distracted." He bit his lip and made his decision. "That totals 1645 Ryu." She gave him 2000 and when he wanted to return the change; she shook her head and just gave him a gentle smile. Her eyes conveyed one message: 'Thank you so much.' And he felt his heart fill with pride, because he felt like he had just passed some test.

"Thank you, old man!" The kid grinned and he smiled back.

"You're welcome, kid." He almost burst out laughing at the shocked expression on the kids face and when he again received a gentle smile he came to the conclusion that the demon child wasn't that bad at all. Miu took her shopping bags and sealed them away. They bowed and then left his store.

That's when the customers started speaking up. Some began calling the shopkeeper a demon lover and the other questioned as to why he let the demon child in here in the first place. He just shook his head at all of them.

"Tsukino-san is a very important person and she's a regular here. I won't ever want to get on her bad side. Even if it means I have to tolerate the boy. Now that he is with her, no one will be able to do a thing." And even though they denied it, they knew well of the new princess' reputation. She had quickly become one of the strongest ninja in leaf even though she was only a chuunin. A lot of people came to like her. She was nice and gave everyone she saw a smile and a 'good morning'. When she saw a child crying she helped it. And when the child was a demon, she would still help it. So they frowned and went on with their day. Some idiots claimed she was a demon lover and swore to never enter his shop again. He only shrugged at them. Unbeknownst to this man, he had made the day of said princess and demon child.

Miu and Naruto left the shop while grinning like idiots. Naruto had been absolutely terrified of the shopkeeper's reaction but had felt content as he had just accepted them in their store and had not said anything. Normally he would have been thrown out without a second thought. He looked at the girl holding his hand and he felt his heart grow warm again.

'It's all thanks to her, though. They wouldn't have let me in if I was alone.'

"Hey, Miu-san, thank you." She just nodded and gave him a gentle smile.

"Let's go to the ninja shop now. I need some new kunai, shuriken and razor wire. We'll also get your ninja sandals from there." When they got there, she squeezed his hand again. They were lucky last time, but she knew that one of the shopkeepers would try to throw Naruto out.

When she walked in, the owner started with his greeting, but stopped mid-sentence when he saw who was with her. The man looked at her, his eyes wide in fear. Miu narrowed her eyes.

"Miu-san, what are you doing with that …_thing_." And the moment he finished saying that, he knew he had made a very, very big mistake. His heart almost stopped at the killing intent she was letting out. Her voice still calm she replied.

"I'm _very _sorry to disturb your business, _sir_. But I was just going to shop for a few things with _Naruto-kun _here. But since you're making such a big commotion, I think I'll just take my business _elsewhere_. _Good bye_." He flinched when the door to the shop slammed shut, and finally let out the breath he had been holding.

Outside, Miu was seething. How _dare _that man call her Naruto-kun '_thing_'! She was clenching her teeth, squeezing her free hand into a fist. She calmed down when Naruto squeezed her hand.

"Miu-san, it's okay." At this Miu looked at him angrily and he flinched under her glare. Her face softened a bit. She crouched down to his level and shook her head.

"No, Naruto. What he did was _unforgivable_. It's never okay. The damn bastard should have gotten a nice beating." She closed her eyes and breathed in a few times. When she was calmed down, she hugged the boy in front of her and realized how important he had become to her. She looked him in the eyes and as she smiled at him with that gentle expression of hers. He gave her a small smile back, equally gentle. She grinned at him.

"Let's go try that store over there." And he nodded enthusiastically, bouncing with each step. He couldn't care less what the villagers thought about him. Miu-san cared and that was all that mattered to him.

* * *

**In heaven…**

Up in heaven there was a group of people cheering the two on.

"You _should _have hit him in the face, Miu-chan! You should have poked out his eyes and cut of his…"

"Kushina-chan!" Minato interrupted his wife. Seriously, with watching Naruto going through all those hard times alone for four years, his wife had been losing her spirit. But now that there was a very good chance of him leading a normal life, or normal for him anyway, she had gone back to her old self. Though he did agree with her… If he had been there, he would have smashed a Rasengan in the shopkeeper's face…

"Oh, come on dear! If I had been there, I would have kicked his ass! How dare he look at my Naruto-chan that way! Miu-chan is just way too controlled and polite for that, which I blame on you guys!" She said while glaring at her so called friends.

"Well, I'm glad she didn't turn out like you. You're a little _too _uncontrolled. And I would pity the Sandaime if she was." Kazumi told her friend with a smirk on her face.

"Hey, I'm proud of it! And that's true; I don't think his heart would have been able to handle it… But if Naruto would grow up to be even a bit like me, he _would _probably prank the crap out of Konoha." The others laughed at that.

"Ah, I would love to see that." Hiroshi agreed.

"Miu would probably join him." Kazumi added. "And if she would ever teach him fuinjutsu or even the kage bunshin…"

"Konoha would probably… be victim to one of the most awesome pranks in history." Minato finished with a smirk on his face.

* * *

**Back on earth**

Miu had once visited another good ninja store. The shopkeeper was a retired ninja named Takara. Maybe he would be more tolerable with Naruto. As she entered the store, the man behind the counter smiled at her and welcomed her in his store. When she greeted him back, his eyes were on Naruto and she gave his hand a squeeze.

"Ah Tsukino-san. What do you need today?"

"Takara-san, I would like some ninja sandals for this kid here. And I need 50 kunai, 50 shuriken and 10 meters of razor wire. And do you sell ink too?" When he nodded, she asked him to add that too. He nodded again and prepared her order. She took Naruto to the shoe section and found him black ninja sandals in his size.

"I love them! Thank you, Miu-san!" He grinned and jumped around in the new sandals.

"Do you want to keep these?" She asked, motioning at his old and worn down sandals.

"Yeah…" He hesitated and then shook his head. "You can throw those away." She nodded.

As an orphan he didn't get many things and thus treasured anything he got. To throw something away was…difficult. But since he had new ones, he decided he didn't need them anymore. They went to pay at the counter, Naruto grinning the whole way there, happy with his new shoes. The shopkeeper was still a bit wary around Naruto and he shot Miu a questioning gaze. She just shrugged and smiled. She opened her sealing scroll and sealed the weapons inside, paid for everything and left the store.

"Goodbye, Takara-san."

As the pair left, Takara couldn't help but wonder what in the world Tsukino-san was doing with _that _child. But he knew better than to ask something so stupid, especially after the warning glance she had sent his way. He shrugged it off and went on with his work, completely unaware he had just acquired two new loyal customers.

Miu threw Naruto's old sandals away at the first container they passed.

"Naruto, want to grab an ice cream after we buy the groceries?"

He nodded. "Yeah! Ice cream!" He looked eager to go and she chuckled.

"Come on then."

She brought them to the convenience store and got the things she needed in order to prepare dinner and dessert. She got some apple juice and some fresh fruit. The woman at the counter shot Naruto a glare as she scanned the products. She wisely held her mouth shut, knowing who the person with the demon was. Miu paid and got her and Naruto out of the convenience store.

'Man, what the hell is wrong with these people? I knew that if it was someone other than me, they would have totally thrown Naruto out of every shop!' It was only because of her status and reputation that Naruto was being tolerated.

Miu tried very hard to control herself. People had been pissing her off this whole day. Bunch of bastards. Even if the kid was the jinchuuriki to the nine-tails, the way people looked at him was with fear, hate and contempt, as if he was the kyuubi incarnate. These people who knew nothing of fuinjutsu probably thought so and it only angered her more. They were blinded by their hate and fear and she found it disgusting. The only reason she was controlling herself was the blond kid holding her hand. She shook her head. Idiots.

"Hey, Naruto-kun." She said once they stopped in front of an ice cream vendor. "What flavor do you want?"

He looked over the flavors, looking at them as if it was the first time seeing them. Knowing Naruto, it probably was. She ignored the pang in her heart as he answered.

"I want strawberry." She nodded and looked over at the vendor.

"Sir, one chocolate and one strawberry ice cream, please." He did so without hesitation and gave them their ice creams. 'Thank God!' She thought.

"Thanks." She paid and they silently walked away, licking away at their ice creams. She tugged at Naruto's arm.

"Let's go to the park." As his eyes lightened up and a grin spread across his face, she couldn't help but grin back.

The park was almost empty. Most kids were gone having lunch right about now. They quickly ate their ice cream. When they were done Miu grinned at Naruto.

"Oi! Naruto! Get on the swing, I'll push you." He grinned right back.

"Thanks, Miu-san!" Naruto got on the swing and as she pushed him, she let a sad smile cover her face.

Naruto probably never had anyone pushing him on the swing and he probably had never eaten ice cream before. At this, determination filled her eyes. If he decided to stay, she could give him things that he had never experienced before. But even if he didn't, she was planning this week to be totally awesome. She was enjoying herself so much, she truly felt as if she had just acquired a little brother. She wouldn't let him get hurt. Not if she was there to stop it. She smiled at the child in front of her, squealing and shouting out in pure delight.

"Higher Miu-san!"

"You're on!" She laughed as she pushed him harder, making Naruto shriek in joy.

This caused the passing people to look up to an astonishing sight. There was the demon, so happily playing and laughing. And they realized that no demon could laugh so happily at something so utterly childish. The girl behind him was grinning. Definitely enjoying herself. And even though they hated the child, seeing their smiles they just had to smile back and the arm around their lover tightened. Mothers gave their kids a hug and an old couple smiled at the joys of being young.

And then they remembered who or _what _they were watching and quickly left, trying to forget the feelings that watching those two kids had brought up in them. But they would never forget, no matter how hard they tried to. After all, seeing them like that had seemed like watching a family. They had seen that there was no demon and there was only a lonely child that was comforted by his bigger sister. It brought shame to their hearts to know that they had never seen that expression on his face, just because they had never given him a chance before. They felt regret and no matter how hard they tried to forget, that feeling turned up every time they saw him thereafter.

Blissfully unaware of the attention the couple was attracting they continued on the swings until she stopped pushing and they both came to a stop. She got in front of Naruto and ruffled his hair playfully.

"Hey, let's play in the sandbox. I want to build a sandcastle!" And as she turned her back, she missed the utterly content expression of love and adoration and unbeknownst to him, she had looked at him the same way when she had been pushing him on the swing. He followed her. Shouting out that he was coming and she just smiled. They enjoyed themselves immensely. It may have been the first time for Naruto, but it was also the first time for Miu. She had never played with someone else after all. She had trained hard as to where other people wouldn't approach her. So now the sixteen-year-old princess was playing in the sandbox with a soon-to-be five-year-old and she was absolutely overjoyed. They built a big fort, modeling it after Konoha. Then they built houses, animals and people and they were grinning through the whole thing. Both of them wishing life would be like this forever…

* * *

Onee-chan/nee-chan: Big sister

Sensei: Teacher/doctor

**A/N: **Please review and tell me what you thought! Constructive criticism is always welcome, but please don't flame!


	4. Chapter 4: Our Home

**A/N: **First of all, I apologize for updating so late. This chapter was a pain to write. Somehow I couldn't get Kurenai and the Sandaime right. I've rewritten it a few times, and this is how it ended up. Anyway, thanks ItachiTenshi for beta'ing this! And thanks again my awesome readers for your reviews, favorites and follows. You all make my day!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto, however this story and the OC are mine.

**Chapter 4: Our Home**

"Aaaah~! I'm so hungry! Those Onigiri weren't enough at all!" Miu said as she wrapped her arms around her waist, trying to prevent her stomach from growling again. Naruto, who was walking beside her, giggled at her theatrics. They were on their way back home after having played at the park for hours. They hadn't stopped playing, not even _thinking_ about going home, so they could finally _eat_. Instead they had walked into the nearest store, ignoring the glares and buying some Onigiri for the two of them. they had quickly scarfed them down, before continuing to play.

Miu had truly enjoyed herself. She didn't know that playing with an almost five-year-old would be so relaxing. Just for a moment she had let go of her burdens and worries and for once in her life she had just concentrated on having _fun_. She shot a look at the little boy walking besides her. She hoped that it had had the same effect on him. It would make her so happy if he could forget about those hateful villagers even if it was for a second, that he could just be a normal child even if it was for a few minutes. _Normal_, _not hated_. She hoped that he had felt the same sense of satisfaction and fulfillment, of _peace_ as she had felt. She grinned and took Naruto hand in hers.

"Ne, Naruto-kun, I'm really sorry. You're probably hungry too! Let's get home quickly and I'll make us both something delicious! Ah, I'm in the mood for something fall-y." She announced happily. Naruto cocked his head in question.

"Ne, Miu-san? Fall-y… is that even a word?" He asked innocently.

Miu stopped dead in her tracks, her arms falling limply by her side.

"Ah." She uttered. Naruto stopped behind her, wondering if he had said something wrong, normally Miu-san wouldn't…

"AH!" She shouted again, and suddenly turned around, scaring the hell out of him.

"M-Miu-san? Are you… okay?" He asked, panicking a bit.

She raised her fist, fire burning in her eyes.

"If it's not a word, then let's make it a word! In this world nothing is impossible! Because we're youthful after all!" Miu suddenly fell face first into the ground, holding a bump on the back of her head.

"Ouch! That hurt, dammit! Who was it?!" She looked over her shoulder, coming face to face with the emotionless expression of the culprit.

"Anko! Where the hell did you come from?!" Anko's eyebrow twitched as she brought the kunai she was holding closer to her friends face.

"I told you _not to say that again_!" Miu blinked a few times, not really understanding what she meant, until it clicked. She shot Anko a sheepish smile. Her friend could be so freakin' _scary_ sometimes!

"Ehehe, sorry Anko-chan. I won't do it again, so please… _don't kill meeeee_!" She ended pathetically, flailing underneath her friend, which only made Anko angrier.

Naruto stared at the strange scene in front of him. One moment Miu-san was talking about making fall-y a word and being able to do anything, because nothing was impossible and then she had said some weird things –What was this _youthful_ anyway? and then the next thing he knew she was suddenly on the ground with Mitarashi-san on top of her. He tilted his head to the side. Was this another spar? He thought they would meet again tomorrow… Did Mitarashi-san really want to fight so badly? Maybe she had missed Miu-san and she just wanted to see her again? He nodded. That was probably it. Miu-san was a nice person after all.

Anko just sighed, putting the kunai away, before a sadistic grin spread on her face.

"I caught you off guard, didn't I? Weren't you getting a little too relaxed with Blondie over there?" Miu just stuck out her tongue.

"Shut up, I could sense you coming from miles away!" She exclaimed with a pout. Miu didn't admit it, but Anko really_ had_ caught her of guard. Which kind of scared her. She wasn't _supposed_ to let her guard down.

"Suuuure, that's why you went face first into the ground, right?" Her friend's smug voice broke her out of her thoughts; which she put away—for now. Miu's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the smugness in her friend's tone. She was just about to argue, when her friend's face suddenly turned serious. Anko brought her mouth closer to her friend's ear.

"We need to talk." Anko whispered, worry lacing her voice. Miu nodded. "We'll talk at my house." She replied.

Just as quickly as the serious expression came, it left again and Anko smiled and got off her friend. Miu instinctually did the same and took her friend's outstretched hand.

"Anko, you should come over, I was just about to make lunch for me and Naruto-kun! I'll be making an awesome fall-y dish!" She said, her voice cheerful again.

Anko narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"Are you stupid? Isn't the right word autumny?" Miu's eyes lit up at this.

"_That's_ the word I was searching for!" She turned to a still dumbfounded Naruto and grinned at him.

"It was autumn-y, Naruto-kun! I'm a _genius_!" She took his hand again and swung it around in glee, Naruto just giggled at her silliness.

"Anko will be eating with us, alright?" He nodded.

"Okay, Miu-san!" He replied with a grin. She grinned back at him. "Good!"

Miu turned to her friend again, and she could see that there was something bothering her. So she decided to distract Anko for a while.

"Ne, Anko! Naruto-kun and I had so much fun! Today, we went shopping and we had ice cream, we also went to the park and it was totally awesome!" She began and continued to tell Anko all about what had happened.

Miu opened the gates and closed it behind them, still chattering all the way, recounting her day with Naruto. She unlocked the front door and led them inside. She unsealed Naruto's slippers from her scroll and gave them to him.

"Here you go, Naruto-kun. After we had some lunch, let's put your new things away, okay?" She told him. Naruto smiled at her and nodded.

"Okay, Miu-san!" They all went into the kitchen and she unsealed the groceries.

"You guys, help me put these away. Naruto-kun, you do the cookies and sweets. They all go in here." She said, showing him the right drawer.

"Okay, Miu-san!" He replied enthusiastically, happy that he could help out.

"Anko you help me with these." She said, pushing one of the shopping bags towards her friend. Anko grumbled something, but did as she was told.

When they were all done putting the things away, Miu took out the ingredients needed for lunch.

"I'm gonna make some noodles." She declared. "Stir-fried noodles with mushrooms, chicken and green beans." She clarified and nodded in satisfaction at the thought of the dish.

Anko just shrugged. "As long as I can get some food, it's fine. I'm actually quite hungry."

Naruto just tilted his head to the side. "Noodles?" He asked, curiously. "Are they good?"

Miu blinked a few times, still not used to the fact that he didn't know what certain food tasted like, because of some _ignorant bastards_. Anko shot her a questioning look, which she answered with a pointed look that said; _I'll explain later_. She turned her gaze on Naruto again and gave him a big smile.

"You'll love it." She told him in a bright voice. Naruto smiled at this, looking forward to the delicious meal that she was making.

While Miu was making lunch, Anko and Naruto helped set the table. Anko was still thinking about how Naruto had questioned noodles. How could a kid not know what noodles tasted like? And Miu had looked as if it was something that had happened before. She wasn't very patient, so she decided to ask the kid herself.

"Hey…" She started, making Naruto look up. "Have you really never eaten noodles before?" Naruto looked down at the sudden question and nodded.

"I've never eaten it before… the food at the orphanage was never like what Miu-san makes for me." He admitted. Her food was nothing like that bitter, black mess he had to swallow every time. But he had still eaten it, learning that complaining only got the caretakers angry – and angry caretakers meant a beating. So he endured it and ate it.

Anko blinked a few times, and was wondering just what they had fed the boy in front of her. Looking at him closely now, she could see that he was quite skinny, malnourished even. Had those guys really been feeding him? She shot a look at the boy's whisker marks. Used as a sacrifice, he didn't even know why other people hated him… not realizing that he was actually keeping them safe. Anko blinked a few times at her thoughts.

Now that she thought about it, this boy _did_ save them. He saved the whole village by becoming the sacrifice. And yet, the villagers hated him, despised him. And if she had noticed anything when she had been talking to Miu on their way back home, it was that Miu had been damn angry at the villagers. _That's_ what she probably wanted to tell her. Naruto's treatment had been worse than she thought. She looked up at her friends back. She couldn't sense emotions as easily as her friend seemed to do, but she knew that she had been upset, that she was angry and that she seemed even more determined in protecting the kid. Anko's lips curved upwards in a small smile. _That Miu… _She thought happily. But her smile faded away as soon as she thought back to what she had to say. Miu wouldn't be happy to hear it, that was for sure.

Anko looked at the blonde kid in front of her again. He was laying the chopsticks on their little chopstick rest and she smiled at his concentrated look. He wasn't so bad, she just hoped that the others would come to realize this too.

"Lunch is ready!" Miu's happy cry brought her out of her thoughts. Her friend filled their plates and served their delicious looking lunch. She felt her mouth water and she shot a grateful look at the older girl. First they would eat in peace and then they would discuss their problems…

An "Itadakimasu" was shouted and they all dug in. Miu watched them both, waiting for their reactions. Anko and Naruto both closed their eyes in bliss, giving her a loud "Hmmmm" as an answer to her unasked question. Miu grinned, glad that they enjoyed it and dug in, smiling at the familiar taste of the dish her mother used to make.

When they were done eating, they all just sat together in a comfortable silence.

"Thank you for the food, Miu-san, it was delicious!" Naruto said, smiling widely. Anko grumbled in agreement.

Miu smiled at them and just nodded. "I'm really glad you liked it." She shot Anko a look and decided that they should talk as soon as possible.

"Naruto-kun?" She called, gaining his attention again. "Yeah, Miu-san?"

"Me and Anko have to talk about something. When we're done and you're a bit rested out, we'll go put your new clothes away, okay?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically at this, a giant grin plastered on his face. "Okay, Miu-san!" She smiled, grateful that he didn't ask any questions.

"Come, I'll turn on the TV for you, okay?" He nodded and followed her to the living room. After she had turned on the TV, she turned to face him.

"I'll be right back." She assured him, not really sure why she was saying it. She ruffled his hair, gave him a peck on his forehead and went back to the kitchen where Anko had been waiting.

"Let's go." Miu went to the garden and took place on top of one of the training posts. Anko sat down on the one next to her, facing her friend. Anko seemed troubled, Miu noticed. She just waited for Anko to start talking, knowing that she would eventually.

"When I left your house this morning, I went to see Kurenai." She started. "We were just enjoying ourselves and talking like we always did, when I told her about you bringing in Blondie." Anko's frown deepened.

"She went silent when I told her, her eyes darkened." Anko told her, a troubled look on her face. "First I didn't know what was wrong and then it suddenly hit me. Kurenai told me that she had lost her father in the kyuubi attack."

Miu's eyes widened in shock. "No way… I-I didn't know that…" Her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched in disbelief. "Does… does that mean she hates Naruto too?" She asked, not succeeding in concealing the anxiety she was feeling. Anko shook her head slowly.

"I don't know. But I don't think she hates the kid, just what he contains. Kurenai, she… she put on a fake smile and left. I just couldn't run after her… I thought it was best for her to be alone for a bit."

Miu couldn't believe this. There were so many emotions running through her – _anger, sadness, shock, anxiety _– she was so confused on what to feel and do right now. Kurenai was an awesome friend; she was calm and cool, but still very caring. Miu had met Kurenai through Anko who had been best friends with the girl. She had come to love them both really much… Right now, Miu was scared. She was scared of losing her friends… scared of losing the affection of the people she really cared about…

When she had decided to adopt Naruto, she knew that she would lose a lot of support. She knew that some villagers would hate her, but she also knew that if she confronted them with the kid himself and showed that he was just a mere child and not the monster they were making him out to be, they would understand that they had been wrong. The same with ninjas. There would be some who would be against it, but there would also be others who would come to accept it. Honestly, she had thought that all her friends would understand. The possibility of losing them due to her decision in adopting the boy hadn't even occurred to her. Had she just been overconfident? No. That wasn't it. She believed in her friends. They weren't the kind who were blind to what was right in front of them. She would get Kurenai back. She would show her that the demon was locked away and that there was no reason to stay away or hate Naruto. She _would_ bring her back.

She shut her eyes, her jaw tightening, her hands still clenched into a fist.

It hurt.

Even the mere thought of losing her was hurting her heart. She didn't want this. She didn't want her to leave. She didn't want to lose Kurenai. She didn't want to lose any of her friends. Her thoughts flashed back to the smiling blonde kid in her home. And she would _not_ let go of Naruto. She wouldn't abandon him. _Ever._

"She'll come to understand." Miu told her friend. Anko looked up. "I'll bring her back, and show her that there is nothing to hate. She'll come to accept him." Anko looked in her friends eyes, seeing the determination. She nodded and let a small smile cover her face.

"She will." They both grinned at each other. But then Anko turned serious again. Miu noted that had happened a lot today…

"Miu," Anko called and Miu stopped grinning as she heard the seriousness in her friend's voice.

"When Kurenai left, I had been wandering the village searching for you." Anko frowned as she remembered what had happened.

"The rumor of you two being seen together was being spread like wildfire. The whole village probably knows that you're keeping him here. But that isn't what worries me. If the village already knows, it won't be long before the council finds out about this." Miu frowned at this.

"The _whole village_ already knows?" She asked in disbelieve. "Are you kidding me?!"

"Well, you were parading around with him, holding his hand. You should have heard some of the things they were saying. Some of them were saying you were being influenced, making a drama that they were all going to die. Some were in denial, saying that it was impossible for you to do something so _preposterous_." Anko said rolling her eyes. "Seriously, some people are just too stupid." Miu nodded at that, still a frown on her face.

"It's okay if they find out he's living with me. They can't _do_ anything, after all I was just walking around with him. If they do summon me, I can just tell them that I found him beaten up, practically on my doorstep. I'll tell them that I was taking care of him, they don't have to know that I have plans to adopt him." Anko nodded, agreeing with her friend.

"But, you know…" Anko continued with a small smile. "Even though there were only a few of them, there had been people reevaluating Naruto." Miu's eyes lit up at this and she leant forward.

"There was this one guy, I think he was a chuunin, convincing his friends that it was _weird_ that Naruto was called a monster. He said that he had seen you two playing in the park and that Naruto looked just like any other kid. His voice was really loud, kind of attracting attention all over the place, which is why I heard it in the first place. Other people were listening too and while there were some that had been disagreeing and disregarding his opinion, there were people who seemed to agree."

Miu's heart warmed at this, a grin tugging at her lips. She quickly blinked away the haze in front of her eyes and laughed.

"I'm glad." She whispered. "Witnessing what Naruto had been going through was… hard. It's a lot worse than I thought, Anko. It's kind of frightening, you know. It was like I wasn't in Konoha anymore. It felt like I had stumbled into enemy territory... I hope that as he grows, people will acknowledge him more and more. I can't stand the thought of people thinking of him as a monster, because he is anything but." Miu told her, a bitter expression on her face. "But after what I've seen today, I'm really not letting him go." Anko nodded, rubbing her temples. She had been right. She sighed.

"When are you going to tell the Hokage?"

"I had planned to go to him today, after going to the library. But I'll probably go talk to him as soon as I put Naruto's new clothes away. I want him to hear it from me and not from some random person." Anko nodded.

"Good. I'll go and talk to Kurenai, see if I can do something about her." Anko jumped off the post and Miu quickly followed.

"Anko," She called. Anko turned around. "I'm sorry for what happened with Kurenai… and thanks for telling me." Anko just grinned.

"We're friends, right?" Miu nodded, a gentle smile on her face that quickly became a full-blown grin.

"Hehehe, yeah!"

They both went back inside, a peaceful smile on their faces.

* * *

**In heaven…**

The faces of the four people sitting at the river of life had equally peaceful smiles. They watched their kids interact with each other.

Kushina had her head on her husband's shoulder, their hands linked together. Kushina smiled for her son, watching the many expressions of happiness and peacefulness that crossed his face with wonder. Those were new expressions. He had never made those faces before he had been with Miu. She still felt a pang of regret that she couldn't be there with her baby, even though she was so, so thankful that there was someone that had seen past the rumors, the whisker marks and had seen her child as what he was. A _child_.

"In the four years that I have been watching Naruto, I have never seen such a happy and genuine smile on his face, and it's all thanks to Miu-chan." Kushina told her friends. They heard how deep her gratefulness really went and just smiled.

Minato squeezed Kushina's hand gently, agreeing with his wife.

Hiroshi shook his head. "It's the same for Miu, you know. She's always been wearing masks around everyone in order not to get hurt. But when she's with Naruto, she almost completely shows her real self. It's so wonderful to see so much of it now. When we were alive, we saw a lot more of her real self than the others did, but there were a lot of times, that even with us, she wore a mask. She was always on guard with everyone, but she's been changing for the better. She's really opening up to him and in a way he's healing her. So we should thank him – and you too." Kazumi nodded, agreeing with her husband's words.

The two couples and old friends sat together in a comfortable silence, watching their kids finally make their way home after all their playing.

And then Minato's smile turned into a frown.

"I just hope that the council stays out of this. They can get really annoying sometimes and that bastard Danzo had been wanting to make Naruto his secret weapon. He'll use every opportunity possible to get Naruto within his grasp and those two other dustbags are practically on his side…Miu will probably have a hard time if they interfere." Minato told them.

"Sarutobi-sama will surely help her out. He wants the best for Naruto-kun too. He won't let Danzo get him. Ever." Kazumi replied resolutely.

The others nodded and went back to watching.

* * *

_Thunk…Thunk…Thunk…_

In one of the many training fields of Konoha, a black-haired girl was absently throwing Kunai at a training log. Her crimson eyes were distant, thinking back to the conversation she had with her friend.

Kurenai didn't know what to think anymore. The boy that had the kyuubi sealed inside of him was staying over at Miu's, and Anko had made it seem like it would be a long time arrangement. The boy… Kurenai frowned. She didn't hate the kid. She had never met him before and had no intention of doing so. But she hated the kyuubi. She hated the beast that had killed her father, that had almost destroyed her village and killed their Hokage. She didn't want a constant reminder of what had happened that day.

_Konoha was burning. A giant fox was making its way to the village, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Her father… _Kurenai clenched her fist around the kunai in her hand.

_"I don't want you kids going anywhere near the nine-tails. We're not fighting another village, this is our own village's problem, and not something you should risk your lives for."_

She had thought it was a load of crap… of course she wanted to help! Everyone was out there fighting and she was standing there and doing nothing! But the moment she had seen the beast… She had been terrified. Could she really have done something? And now that she thought back her father had been absolutely right…

_"You are a shinobi, and you may or may not have a long life. But my dear daughter you are also a woman. If nothing else, survive long enough to give me a grandchild and pass the will of fire on to them! Promise me at least that… I will put my faith in you."_

_"Dad…"_ Kurenai shut her eyes and desperately tried to think of something else. She threw another handful of Kunai, missing her target three of the five times. She cursed.

Miu suddenly entered her thoughts. Miu with her cheerful blue eyes and giant grin, her childishness and easygoing personality…

She liked the older girl, they got along well, Kurenai admitted. She had been quite happy when Anko had told her she had made a friend. It was something that had rendered her speechless at first, as this was _Anko_ they were talking about, and Anko didn't just made friends with anyone. She had been excited to meet this Miu person, and had noticed quickly why Anko had taken a liking to her in the first place. The two were similar in some aspects. Both childish and loud, both stubborn – and sometimes both of them could be idiots. Almost unconsciously her mouth curled into a smile.

They had grown closer during the time that Kurenai had been training Miu in Genjutsu, which Miu surprisingly sucked at. Still, she was easy to teach and hardworking on top of that. When Miu seemed to open up to her, she had asked if Kurenai could help her with making a Genjutsu seal, which she had agreed to fairly quickly. It looked interesting, but they hadn't started on it yet.

She really liked Miu, but from what she had heard from Anko, she and the kid were quickly getting close together. Anko had seemed more concerned about the fact that it could bring Miu a lot of trouble than _it_ being so close to her friend. Anko seemed to be taking it quite well… Kurenai sighed.

Why was Miu even hanging out with the kid? Did she know what he contained? What that thing inside of him had done to her village? Yes. If Anko had been there, she would surely have said something to make her aware of that fact. Miu caught on quickly. She probably figured it out. But then, why? Why was she still keeping him with her? Why hadn't she sent him away again? Kurenai just couldn't comprehend her friend's reasoning. Maybe she should go talk to her…

She didn't want to lose her friend over this, but still… She needed some time to sort out her feelings. It had been way too sudden…

* * *

Anko had just left. Naruto and Miu were excitedly making their way upstairs to put away Naruto's new clothes.

Miu opened the door to the room where Naruto had been staying up until now and went in. She turned around and kneeled down to his level.

"Naruto-kun, from today onwards this will be your room, whether you decide to stay or not. It's still a little bare, but we'll get some things to liven it up in a few days, okay?"

Naruto just stared at her, his mouth hanging open in shock. His own room? In her house? Even though she had already told him, everything was becoming so real, so _quick_. He felt his excitement grow as he looked around the room. It was big. There was a big bed in the middle of the room, he had a closet and a desk made from expensive looking wood and the windows gave him a beautiful view of the backyard.

_"My room?"_ He asked carefully, just to be sure if he really heard her right. When she nodded, his face split into a grin and he tackled her in a hug, making her fall over.

"_Thankyouthankyouthankyousomuch_!" he rambled as he tightened his hug, his throat closing painfully. She chuckled and ruffled his blonde spikes, hugging him back.  
"You're very welcome, Naruto-kun." She had to swallow a few times to clear her throat, blinking away her doubling vision. She picked him up and she went up to the bed where she put him down. Miu unsealed the scroll from her wrist, opening it and unsealing Naruto's things.

Naruto watched with fascination as a pile of clothes fell out of the piece of paper Miu-san was holding. How was that even possible?!

She checked her scroll and unsealed a toothbrush, toothpaste and some shampoo too.

"Miu-san, that's so cool! Can you really seal everything away with this scroll?" Miu chuckled at the look of utter amazement on his cute face. She shook her head.

"I can't seal a person away or animals… well not with this scroll at least…" His eyes widened as he understood what that meant.

"So there are other scrolls you _can_ seal away people with?!" She hesitantly nodded.

"Woooow! That's awesome, that would be like a Jack in the scroll!" Miu snorted at his idea of human sealing and summoning, and she shook her head.

"I don't think you would be able to pop out of a scroll yourself though, and there would definitely not be any music. Ninjas have to be silent, you know." She suddenly thought back at another spikey blonde haired man. Well, _he_ was able to do something similar though. She remembered seeing the Hirashin once and she had been so _amazed_ that she had begged the guy to teach her… Minato-san had just laughed off her request, saying that she would have to figure it out herself if she ever started on studying seals. Kushina – his girlfriend at the time, had only rolled her eyes playfully and told her she thought he looked like a chipmunk on a sugar high. She had burst out in a loud laugh at that, and she swore that her sides would snap and her head would burst at the image of a certain blonde with a tail and cute ears, flashing all over the place. A grin spread on her face at the memory, but took on a sadder note as she looked down at their legacy.

She watched the kid, who was still starry-eyed over the possibility to put people in a scroll… She wanted to tell him about his parents as soon as possible. She wanted to show him photos and tell him countless stories about them. She wanted him to know how much they had loved each other and how much they probably loved him, even if they had only been with him for such a short while. She wanted him to know about the kyuubi as soon as possible also. She wanted him to know the reason behind the villagers' hate. She would tell him truthfully– because he would find out one day, anyway— And be there to support him, to show him that she loved him for who he was and that she didn't care that he had the most powerful of the tailed beasts sealed inside of him.

And if he really wanted to be a ninja, she would teach him. She would probably do anything to make this kid happy. She frowned at this, it would be no good to spoil him, so she had to be careful! At least she knew she was very strict when it came to training. She'd probably work him into the ground. But seeing who his parents were, he'd be able to take it. Hmm… If she ever became a Jounin sensei she would definitely be called a slave driver…She smirked sadistically at the thought of making kids do some hellish training, while she sat back and watched, making Naruto take a step back and point a finger at her.

"Ah, Miu-san! You just smiled like Mitarashi-san does!" His statement wiped the grin straight off her face. She turned to him with a bewildered look. Had she just grinned _sadistically_ in front of _Naruto_?! And he was saying she was copying Anko! Anko was rubbing off on her! _NOOOOO!_

"No, I did _not_! You're just seeing things! I'd never smile like Anko does!" She exclaimed, totally lying through her teeth. "And you shouldn't point your fingers at people, it's considered impolite." She added. Naruto shook his head vehemently.

"No really you did! It was kind of scary, Miu-san. It doesn't suit you, you shouldn't smile like that." Miu blinked at that. "And I won't point fingers anymore." He promised.

"Doesn't suit me?" She asked, kind of surprised. Naruto nodded wisely.

"You should smile like you always do, Miu-san. I like your kind smile the most." Wow. That sounded so _adorable_ coming from him. She didn't quite know how to react to that, so she just gave him an embarrassed grin and ruffled his hair.

"Idiot!" She chided playfully. "Don't say such an embarrassing thing!" She told him, poking him in the side. He just grinned at her and she felt her heart become warm.

"Well, we should start putting your clothes away, right?" She ended the moment. He nodded, getting up with her. She opened his closet and started filling it with his clothes, telling him where to find everything as she put it away. Not that she wouldn't be here every morning to hand him his clothes, or even dress him, if he was still too sleepy to do it himself.

"So I'll put your pants here, your shorts there. I'll put your shirts here and you jackets here. This one…" She said pointing at a still empty shelf. "Will probably be filled with a few formal Kimonos." Naruto blinked at this and cocked his head to the side, a questioning look on his face.

"Ne, Miu-san, I thought Kimono's were only for girls." She shook her head.

"No Naruto-kun, Kimono's are for both genders." She gave him an apologetic look. "My family had good relations with the Daimyo, so it's a tradition to call him over for dinner. So if you decide to stay, you'll have to wear it."

"Is he an important person?" She nodded. "He is. He's the leader of Fire Country itself. So when he does come here, to Konoha, I'm inviting him over for dinner. It's to show respect and keep up good relations." Though her house wasn't even that big and flashy, and there really wasn't a clan anymore. She wondered what the old man would think about that.

He went into his thinking pose again and Miu grinned at the cuteness, trying hard not to squeal.

"Well, if I have to wear it for you Miu-san, then it's okay." She nodded, a small smile on her face. "Thanks, Naruto-kun." She sighed in relief.

"But only if the Damo comes." He added seriously, causing her to choke on her spit and started laughing hysterically.

_Damo! He said Damo!_

She was laughing so hard, that tears were streaming down her face. Naruto blinked at this unexpected reaction. Had he said something wrong? Was she laughing at him? He pouted at that.

Miu calmed down, a grin from ear to ear still on her face. She sat up straight and beckoned Naruto. He came closer, that cute pout still on his face. She suddenly kissed him on his forehead, surprising him. As he looked up at her, she smiled at him fondly.

"You're just way too cute, Naru-chan." She told him sincerely. Naruto blinked at the nickname again and blushed. "Ah, Miu-san! Now _you're_ saying embarrassing things! That's no fair." She grinned at him. "That was payback!" She said, lovingly ruffling his locks again.

"By the way, Naruto-kun, it's Daimyo. Not Damo, okay?" Naruto blinked a few times, and then hesitantly nodded.

"Daimo?" She bit her lip, trying to hold in her laugh. "Daimyo." She repeated slowly. "Daimyo?" he repeated slowly, ending it in a question. She nodded, beaming with pride. "Yeah, that's it! Daimyo." She laughed and ruffled his hair once more. Naruto looked up with a smile. He loved it when Miu-san laughed like this. It made him all warm and fuzzy inside.

She took his hand in hers and took the toothpaste, brush and shampoo. "Come, I'll show you the rest of the house." She showed him his bathroom on his left side and put his things away there. Then she showed her the bedroom next to him.

"This room," she said as she opened the door right to his. "Is my room."

He looked around, liking its blue color and noticing the flower patterns painted on the wall. He took notice of the pictures on her desk and she showed him.

"This here is my mom and dad. The picture was taken when we were still living in the clan compound, before the massacre." She handed him the picture and he looked at the two adults in the picture smiling widely to the camera, their green eyes bright with happiness.

"They look like really nice people." He remarked softly. She nodded.

"They were the best parents, they were really funny and nice. They would have loved to meet you." She smiled at him sadly as he looked over the other pictures.

"Wow, Miu-san! You're so young in this one!" He called, pointing at another picture. She grinned when she remembered what had happened before that. "I was eight here. I had just finished training and my dad surprised me. He'd just bought this new camera and he just wouldn't stop taking pictures. He had been taking pictures of mom first, but she got angry and he ran away to me." He grinned back.

"Sounds like fun." She nodded.

"It was."

He looked further and noticed that her bookcase was full with scrolls and books.

"Do you read a lot, Miu-san?" She nodded.

"Yeah, some of these were books I read when I was small, like you. So when you learn to read I'll give them to you. The others are books I picked up while traveling, and these," She motioned to another stack of books. "I bought in Konoha over the half year I've been here. Anyway, there isn't much to see anymore. You can always come in here, okay? If you can't sleep or just want to hang around."

She unsealed the weapons she had bought that day and put them into their own compartment in the closet, she activated the security seal on top of it.

"In this part of my closet are all my ninja things. Naruto, I don't think I have any kunai lying around the house, but if you ever find one, bring them to my room, okay? And please don't keep them yourself because it's still too dangerous for you." She told him seriously. He nodded.

"Sure, Miu-san," She nodded. They left the room and Miu opened up the remaining three doors.

"Guest rooms. Though Anko practically claimed that one as hers." She said as she pointed to the room at the end of the corridor.

"Mitarashi-san sleeps over?" Naruto asked, surprised. Miu nodded.

"She often does when we drink too much and we're both too drunk to move. Anko doesn't have anyone else at home either. She just stays in one of the Jounin apartments. So she's always welcome to stay at mine. I have a big house anyway!" Naruto blinked a few times at this new information.

"Mitarashi-san is alone too?" He asked, making her look down in surprise. Miu nodded.

"Yeah, her parents died when she was just a child. I don't think she remembers them."

Naruto smiled sadly at that. So there really were more people who had lost their parents too, he wasn't the only one. All of them smiled normally, and it was probably because they had friends that cared for them that made them like that. He had always hoped that he would one day find awesome friends too. But for now, he was so glad that he had Miu-san. He even got to stay here with her. And then he realized that the loneliness that haunted him every hour of the day when he was in the orphanage, was gone without a trace. With Miu-san he had never felt lonely… Was it the same for her too? He wondered.

"Naruto-kun? You okay?" She asked as he snapped out of his thoughts, only to see Miu-san's gentle face hovering over him. He nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, Miu-san." He really was, and it was all thanks to her. She nodded, deciding not to push him and they stopped at another staircase.

"This one leads to the clan library upstairs." She told him. "The door is sealed, so no one can enter without my permission. I'll take you there another time, okay?" He blinked at that.

"Sealed?" He asked. She nodded.

"There are a lot of clan secrets in there. All our techniques are kept there. That's why it's important to guard it well. Do you understand, Naruto-kun?" Naruto nodded slowly.

"I think I do, Miu-san." He replied and she smiled at that, affectionately ruffling his locks.

Miu led him downstairs and this time she took him down another flight of stairs.

They entered a spacious room. The floor was covered in tatami mats, Katana's, Tanto's and other weaponry decorated the wall. There were a few support beams spread over the room.

"This is the training dojo", she announced. "This place really comes in handy. This way, if it's too cold outside, I can still train inside." Naruto's eyes widened at the size of the room.

"It's so big!" he said, spreading his arm wide open. He ran into the room and made a tour. Miu just couldn't help smiling at the blonde, he was just too adorable.

Miu grinned cheekily as she had an idea. She ran up to him and softly tackled him to the ground. He gave a shout of surprise as he was unexpectedly brought down and watched as Miu grinned. She softly tapped his head.

"Got you! You're it!"

"Eh?" He blinked a few times, not really understanding what happened. He watched as Miu-san pranced through the room.

"Come and get me, Naru-chan!" She stuck out her tongue and then ran further into the room. He was it? Were they playing tag…? A small smile slowly spread on his face as he remembered seeing the other kids at the orphanage play. He had never been allowed to join… He put those depressing thoughts away and got up. He ran to the backside of the room, looking behind one of the pillars where he thought she might have run to, but she wasn't there. He looked around and suddenly saw something in the corner of his eye. He turned around quickly and saw a grinning Miu skipping across the room.

"I found you!" He shouted in glee and ran to where she was, trying to tag her with all his might, but she just kept slipping away.

"Missed agaaaain~" She said with a sing-song voice. Naruto was determined to tag her out. So he continued to run after her through the room, smiling and giggling all the way. It wasn't working! He was trying to tag her but she kept running away! If only he could somehow get her to come close enough… And then suddenly it dawned on him. With a cheeky grin, he ran after her again, just like he had done all the other times. But this time, he tripped and fell, causing Miu to stop running around.

"Naruto-kun?" He didn't reply. Concern replaced the playfulness and she quickly made her way towards Naruto and picked him up. _What was wrong? Why wasn't he moving? Did he hit his head? Was there something else?—_He was grinning at her and he suddenly tapped her forehead, just as gently as she had done and jumped away from her.

"You're it!" He shouted in glee and now it was his turn to jump around the room. He laughed at her utterly dumbfounded expression.

Miu just sat there flabbergasted as her brain processed what Naruto had just pulled off. He tricked her! That brat tricked her! The knot in her stomach slowly unwinded, a relieved sigh breezing past her lips. Miu grinned and got up.

"So you want it that way, huh?" This time it was her turn to chase after the little blonde ball of energy. She had initiated this game of tag because she wanted to have some fun with the little guy, but along the way she had started analyzing his moves and speed. He was quite fast for a boy his age, she didn't want to know where he got all the running experience from, but his trick had been a great strategy and she had fallen for it. She wouldn't have expected it from a kid his age though. He was quite good in making on-the-fly decisions.

She cornered her pray until he had nowhere to go, a smug grin on her face as she approached him. He took another step back, and was now pressing himself into the pillar. And then she lunged at him… and started her most dreaded tickling attack.

Naruto gasped in surprise and tried to escape her torturing hands, begging for mercy in between gasping laughter.

"Aaah, Miu-saaaan! Hahaha! P-please, s-stoooop!"

She laughed as his face became red and tears started streaming out. She decided to stop the torture and let the kid breathe for a second.

She lied down next to him and stared up at the ceiling. She should probably go and talk to the Sandaime. She would have to leave the kid alone.

Naruto turned around and gently poked her in the arm. She turned her head and smiled at him.

"Thank you for playing with me, Miu-san. In the park and now… I had so much fun." She chuckled and shook her head as best as was possible while lying on the ground.

"You weren't the only one, you know. I had a great time too." Miu sighed and got up.

"Naruto-kun," She called and he got up too. "Yes, Miu-san?"

"I'm going to have to leave you home for a while. I have to go to talk to the Hokage about you being here and about changing my work schedule." Naruto nodded, albeit a little hesitantly.

"Miu-san… come…" he paused fiddling with his shirt, before he looked up at her again, a bit of uncertainty in his eyes. "Come home soon, okay?" He finished. Her eyes widened at the expression that she had not heard in months. And then she gave him a soft smile, nodding.

"I'll be back soon. Don't do anything dangerous, okay?" He nodded and she smiled. "Good. Let's go back to the living room." He nodded. "Okay." They both went back upstairs and she brought him into the living room. She kneeled to his level and smiled at him.

"When I come back, let's go the library." He cocked his head to the side.

"You mean that place with the books, right?" She nodded, lifting an eyebrow at his pout.

"I can't read yet, you know." She nodded. "I know. Hmm, if that's the case then instead of going to the library how about I teach you how to read and write?" she asked him. His eyes widened in surprise.

"You would teach me?" She nodded and smiled. "Of course I would. You want to, right?" He nodded. "Then it's settled." She ruffled his hair and took out a pen and paper. She slowly wrote down the first few letters of the alphabet, making sure he knew how they were written and pronounced before handing it over to him.

"These are the first few letters of our alphabet. Look at it and try to copy the letters. I'll show you the other letters when you've gotten these ones down, okay?" He nodded, and she smiled. "See you later, Naruto-kun." She waved. "Bye Bye, Miu-san", he said as he waved back. She went upstairs, got her scrolls and then left, hating that she was leaving him behind; but silently vowed to come home as soon as possible. This had to be dealt with, after all. With one last sigh, she shunshined to the Hokage tower, leaving in nothing but a rustle of wind.

* * *

Miu went up to the Hokage's office, quickly noticing the looks she was receiving. Some were curious, others friendly. Then there were the few of them that glared. There were a few more than usual of the last ones, which was probably due to the rumor of her taking care of Naruto. She made sure to give them a good glare in return. 'Yeah, I don't like you either, so fuck you.' She thought.

She gave the secretary a nod, smiling at her. The secretary nodded back and motioned for her to go on. Miu knocked on the door of the Sandaime's office and entered when he gave her permission. The room was spacious and oval, providing a beautiful view of the whole village from the windows. She smiled at the sight of the old man sitting behind his desk. The paperwork piled up so high she almost couldn't see his face. She bowed in respect and raised her head again.

"Good afternoon, Hokage-sama." She greeted with a smile and he returned it with just as much sincerity.

"It's closer to evening, though, Miu. It's good to see you're back. And great timing, by the way," He said, shooting a glare at all the paper work on his desk. "I could use a break." He told her with a smile, as he put his pen down and lit up his pipe. She grinned.

"It's good to be back, Hokage-sama."

She handed him her first scroll.

"First of all, here is my mission report. The mission was, of course, completed successfully and no one was injured. We got the stolen scrolls back and handed the bandits over to the local authorities. We got rid of the shinobi as instructed." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. She handed him another scroll and smiled at him. He opened it up and looked over the intricate seal.

"It's that medical seal I told you about. I finished it yesterday night. It's built so that the blood flow to a certain part of the body can be stopped temporarily without the risk of damaging any body parts. The seal is built in a way so that it directs the healing chakra and even the patient's own chakra directly to the wound, taking less effort and chakra from the one healing. It will give medics the time to seal and heal the wound. It could be used either in the field or in the hospital and both civilians and ninjas could benefit from it." Sarutobi smiled at that.

"That's amazing, Miu. I'll have you present this at the hospital. We'll test it first and if the results are good we'll implement it." She smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." He just closed his eyes and nodded again. "But there's something else right?" She nodded, her expression turning serious. He was as perceptive as always.

"I need to talk to you in private." She glanced at the place near one of the bookcases. The first time she had come to this office, she had a lot of information that she had to discuss that had been absolutely private and for the Hokage's ears only. When she had asked the Hokage to activate his privacy seal, she had felt that there had been something wrong. A crack—something she wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't been practicing Fuinjutsu for the past few years. After checking up on it she concluded that someone had tampered with it. After that, she had been very cautious to not say anything secret without securing the room herself. Miu walked up to the wall and stuck her own privacy seal on the place that wasn't protected. The hokage sent away all his ANBU, except for the one he trusted the most, knowing that she wouldn't ask for this if it was truly important. She activated the seal and closed her eyes, following the chakra flow to see if it covered every part of the room. She nodded in satisfaction and then turned to the Hokage.

"I don't know if someone told you yet, but yesterday I found Uzumaki Naruto in front of my house." She saw the Hokage sit up at this, concern flashing in his eyes.

"What happened?"

"The caretakers at the orphanage had beaten him up and he had run away, coincidentally collapsing just near my front gate." The Hokage's eyes flashed dangerously at this.

"Did Naruto-kun tell you about this? Was there something else he said?"

"Yes. He told me that this wasn't the first time too. They never gave him good food, and kept him isolated from the other kids…"

The Hokage frowned, warily rubbing his forehead. He was getting too old for this. Why didn't the villagers understand? He was just so disappointed at them for blaming a child for what happened almost five years ago. But this time there was not only disappointment, there was anger too. They had gone too far. He was brought out of his thoughts when Miu called him.

"Hokage-sama… I found out about Naruto's heritage and I know that he has the Kyuubi sealed inside of him." The Hokage simply nodded. Truly important, indeed. Of course only Miu would bring up two S-class village secrets so easily.

"I know that if you ever saw him, you would definitely make the connection. Your parents and his were great friends, weren't they?" She nodded. He was a bit curious as to how she found out about the Kyuubi though, so he asked her.

"I made the connection when I found out he was Minato-san's son. My parents always told me that he had died and taken the Kyuubi with him. But I knew that was impossible, because the fox was after all just a massive amount of malicious chakra, and therefore it couldn't be killed. So I made the logical conclusion that it had been sealed away. And then the whiskers, his treatment… it all made sense…" She told him. She looked up at her leader.

"Why didn't you keep the Kyuubi being sealed inside of him as a secret too?" She had to ask him.

"Minato had wanted the villagers to see his son as the hero he was, not as the monster he had defeated." He told her ruefully, shaking his head. "So I told the villagers that Naruto had been made the sacrifice. He had saved his village the moment he had been born and that the fourth wanted him to be treated as a hero." Miu's eyes lit up in realization.

"But the villagers wouldn't accept that. Their family and friends… their _Hokage_ had been killed. They would hate the Kyuubi, and that hate eventually transferred to his container… to them it just matters if the Kyuubi is alive or not…" She continued for him. The Hokage nodded sadly.

"I made that law, hoping that I could somehow protect Naruto from getting hurt by the villagers. And to prevent the future generations hating Naruto too. Minato would probably roll in his grave if he ever saw how the villagers have shunned him." But according to what she had told him, it didn't seem that the law was really effective. They found a way around it. She frowned as another thing bothered her.

"But if you knew of his treatment Hokage-sama, why weren't there any ANBU with him? He should have at least had some protection, right?"

"On the day that I brought him in, the day of the attack, some people on the village council wanted him executed." She gasped in shock.

"_What_?"

"But the majority didn't, so he was saved. Still there have been several attempts on his life since he was a baby, and I had always assigned him ANBU." The Hokage narrowed his eyes.

"Dog, his normal ANBU guard, is away on a mission. I had assigned bear and tiger this as a new mission, but looks like they haven't been doing a good job. I will punish the ones that were responsible for his protection accordingly." He told her with steel in his voice. She smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"The Uchiha were one of the clans that wanted him executed. They have always hated Naruto more than anything else." Her eyes saddened. That would explain why the Uchiha police hadn't done something. If they had seen him, they'd just ignored him and probably _wished_ for him to get hurt.

"The Uchiha were always a bunch of stuck up bastards. Well except for Obito maybe." She gave him a small smile. "Too bad he's gone. He could have taught those idiots a lesson." He nodded. She thought back at the memories she had with Obito. The guy had been awesome. But he had always been hiding his real feelings behind smiles. His sadness, his frustration, his insecurities and his love for Rin. She shook herself out of her memories and told the Hokage what had happened.

She told him about their first dinner together and what they had been up to today. She told him about the shopkeeper that had let him in and the others that had insulted Naruto. She told him how they had played together.

"He's such a sweet kid, Hokage-sama. That child, his eyes look so hurt and wary. It makes me so mad at the people that did this to him. It hurts me that Konoha could've made him that way… Today I treated him like any human being would treat another and I got _thanked_ for it. It's so _frustrating_ when that happens. Wasn't he a human being too? Didn't he deserve to get treated the same way that other people get treated? Why hasn't anyone done anything to help the child?" She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

She had been having the urge to go to the orphanage and teach those bastards a lesson or two. But she couldn't let anyone find out yet. It would only make things difficult. Miu knew how much of a pain in the ass the council could be.

"I've come to like the child. I want to protect him, to take care of him and I want to teach him. I want him to lead a normal life, I want him to have someone to turn to, someone that won't let him down… I want to adopt Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, Hokage-sama." The Hokage's eyes widened at this. Even the years of training couldn't hide his surprised expression. He lifted his pipe and slowly took a long puff.

"Why?" He asked. She looked him straight in the eyes, she was determined and it showed.

"Why not? We're both orphans, he's hated and despised and I'm willing to take him in, he's the son of my parents' friends and he grew on me. I don't want to send him back to the orphanage. And I'm _not_ going to let a five year old live on his own. Of course I gave Naruto a week to make a decision. If he liked it with me he could stay and if he didn't, he could go back to the orphanage." She smiled fondly at the thought of the blonde kid waiting for her back home.

"He needs someone to love him and I need him too." She admitted. He nodded, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Last night, I told him that I was a ninja and that I needed to go on missions. Also that I would ask you to maybe give me a job in the village so that I can spend a bit more time with him, at least until he goes to the Ninja academy. And he still accepted to stay with me." She told him, a gentle smile gracing her lips. Sarutobi smiled at that.

"So he wants to be a ninja?" He asked with a small smile. Miu nodded.

"Well, Miu, I'll see what I can do. I'll see to it that the ANBU and caretakers of the orphanage are dealt with. I'll also see what I can do about your schedule. If not, I'll assign you the top secret mission of teaching Naruto, preparing him for the academy and protecting him. Maybe I'll keep you busy with designing some new seals for the village. You'll probably spend some more time in the hospital, and get that new seal of yours tested at the same time. That way I can assign the ANBU other missions." She grinned at the village leader, bowing in gratitude.

"That would be great, Hokage-sama! Thank you so much!"

He just nodded and took another puff from his pipe.

"You probably already know, Miu, but the villagers and the council won't stay quiet about this. The moment they find out, they'll try to oppose it. Of course they won't be able to do anything about it, since it would be official by then. They'll probably call on you for a council meeting, but you should just be yourself. Don't make an enemy out of them, not that they could pull anything. I'm probably not going to say much, if I side with you or any other they'll be complaining about it. And sadly there could be some ninja in your surrounding that won't accept his adoption. I really hope you're aware of what you're getting yourself into, Miu." He told her, the concern in his voice touched her. She nodded.

"I know, Hokage-sama. I've already thought about what would happen after the adoption. But really, it's okay. I'll protect Naruto-kun." She would protect him with her life. He nodded.

"When are you signing the papers?"

"Not now, probably at the end of this week, on his birthday. But I think I'll tell him about the adoption today or tomorrow."

"Hokage-sama, I have some requests, though..." She began hesitantly. When he nodded, she continued.

"I want Naruto-kun to know about the Kyuubi when he enters the academy. I want him to know what kind of power he has within him. I want him to know that he carries a heavy burden, and that he doesn't bear it alone. I'll be there for him. It would explain all the glaring and all that he endured in his earlier years. I think this is only fair for him." The Hokage frowned at this.

"His first year of academy is still way too early. He won't be able to handle it." Miu shook his head.

"No, Hokage-sama. That's not true. Naruto went through these four years of his life filled with abuse and icy old glares. He knows that something is wrong with him, that he's different. He's currently still in the dark about everything, but I'd rather he hears it from me and slowly gets the time to adapt to it, instead of it being thrown in his face when I'm not around."

"You have a valid argument and I'll consider it. We'll have this talk again when he starts the academy and then I'll see if he'll be able to handle it." She nodded.

"What's the other request?"

"His heritage. I want to tell him when he's ready. Either when he passes his Genin exam or his chuunin exam. At that age he will know better than to announce it to world, yet it will be good for him to hear it. He has to know that he had parents that loved him dearly. Even if I adopt him and become his sister, his parents will still be missing. At that age he will understand why they did what they did. It'll probably motivate him to become stronger."

The Hokage narrowed his eyes at this, slowly taking another puff of his pipe before responding.

"You can tell him once he's chuunin. Only if I see that Naruto can handle it, though." She nodded at this, a relieved smile on her face.

The Sandaime sighed. He had always thought about what would happen when one day the orphanage would throw Naruto out. He had been thinking of giving him his own apartment. This would have also meant that he had to send the boy to the academy two years early to keep him busy. He looked up and smiled at what a great person the girl in front of him was. She may not realize it, but she was changing the young Uzumaki's life.

He couldn't take Naruto in, because the council would think that 'the demon' was corrupting him and they would try to throw him out as Hokage, or they would try to gain more power over the village. The other clans were scared of taking him in because it would hurt their reputation. Miu was a wonderful shinobi and would be an amazing guardian for a lonely child like Naruto. She would teach him well and she would take good care of him. There couldn't have been a better person. And in turn, Naruto would help Miu heal from the death of her clan and parents. She would let him in and would learn to love again. It would also make her bond to Konoha stronger. That's why he accepted her requests. If she though it would drive Naruto forward, it probably would. She had always been a very observant child. He just hoped everything turned out well and he hoped that Miu's friends would accept Naruto too.

"Ne, Hokage-sama," She called. He looked up at her, she looked a bit hesitant. "Is it, maybe, possible for you, to tell me what happened exactly on that day five years ago?" He smiled at her.

"I'll tell you when you come to sign the adoption papers, at the end of the week." Miu pouted for a second, before a wide smile broke out on her face.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" He just smiled that grandfatherly smile of his and nodded.  
"You're welcome, Miu." She nodded and with a cheeky grin she motioned at the piles of paperwork.

"Have fun working on those, Hokage-sama." He looked around and sighed. He still had so much to do. She cocked her own head to the side, her finger tapping her chin.

"I don't understand why you don't use Kage bunshin for this though, wouldn't that be much easier? That way you would finish more quickly and could use the time to go around the village. It's bad for the bones if you sit behind a desk all day…Minato-san was always saying how he would use the technique when he became Hokage, saying that it would take him all day if he did it the normal way." She told him, smiling fondly at the memory. She took off her seal and the moment she did she sensed the ANBU coming in. They were getting better at hiding their presence. Good. She turned back to the wise Hokage and grinned at his open-mouthed expression.

"Could it possibly be… that you didn't think of this?" She asked him, failing to hide her amusement. She shook her head, a wide grin still plastered on her face.

"Well, Bye bye, Hokage-sama!" She said cheerfully before leaving the room with a chuckle. She got out of the Hokage tower and shunshined home to where he was waiting.

* * *

Naruto had been diligently working on his task, trying to copy the letters Miu-san had given him. He glared at his treacherous hand as it swayed and ruined his almost perfect letter. He would try again! And keep trying until he got it right! – Because he was Uzumaki Naruto, after all!—

His silent declaration was interrupted when he heard the front door open and he heard Miu come in. His eyes widened, jumping off his sitting spot, he abandoned his hard work in favor of tackling the woman at the front door.

* * *

Miu came in, humming a happy tune.

"I'm home!" She cried loudly and just as she expected Naruto came running from the living room and tackled her into a hug.

"Welcome home, Miu-san!" He said with a grin. She grinned back at him and she had never felt happier entering her home.

"Thank you for waiting for me, Naruto-kun." She said with a fond smile, ruffling his hair, just because she couldn't thank him enough with words. He looked up at her and shook his head.

"Thank you for coming home again!" She laughed and they both went inside.

And that evening too, the sound of their laughter echoed throughout the house.

_Their home._

* * *

**A/N: **Please let me know what you thought! Feedback is always appreciated :3


	5. Chapter 5: My little brother

**A/N: **So, here's chapter five! Thanks to all the people who reviewed, favorited or followed this story. You guys make my day. Thanks to Shirotora chan for beta'ing this. Please read and review! Feedback is always appreciated. :D I won't be updating for a while, exams are coming up and sadly I'll have to open my books and actually _study_. Ugh. Well, on with the story!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto, however this story and the OC are mine.

**Chapter 5: My Little Brother**

When Miu was done cleaning up the mess she and Naruto had made, she went outside, breathing in the chilly October air. It was getting colder, she noted absentmindedly. In a few weeks she'd probably have to start doing her evening training inside.

She would lay off developing that wind technique for a few days, she decided. It had been kind of taxing—there was still an annoying ache somewhere in the back of her head. She had been trying all kinds of techniques to filter out unneeded information picked up by her jutsu and find out a way to prevent a backlash and other aftereffects, but so far she hadn't succeeded. She sighed. Well, maybe it was time to make a trip to the clan library. There had to be some information that she could use. She wouldn't be leaving the village anytime soon, anyway.

She got off her porch and unsealed her katana. Settling into her trusted Kenjutsu stance, she slowly started her kata's.

After Miu had come back from Sandaime's office, she and Naruto had decided to make that strawberry cake. After diner she'd wanted to check on Naruto's writing. Which, she quickly discovered, was horrible. She had then made a game of it, telling a story with the strokes until he got the first few letters down. They were still bad, but at least they were legible. After that they had started drawing and coloring. They had made a mess. A _serious _mess, which she had cleaned up after she had tucked in Naruto. She frowned in distaste as she thought back at the sticky egg-flour combination that had been dripping on her kitchen floor, and the papers that had been laying all over the living room, as if someone had thrown them into the air… which they _had._ But the frown was quickly replaced by a pleasant smile. She had enjoyed herself.

She should probably get Naruto some crayons and colored pencils, though. It wasn't that fun coloring with pens and pencils after all. Maybe she would give him a color book for his fifth birthday. And some other things kid wanted at that age. Miu frowned. What would a five year old kid want for his birthday, anyway?

Hmm… her fifth birthday… her parents were out on a mission that day, so she hadn't had cake until they came back. If she remembered correctly… that day she had gotten a set of new kunai and she had started her first calligraphy lesson. _Joy_. She thought sarcastically. Miu made a face. No. She would definitely give Naruto a birthday to remember. A _normal_ birthday. She would make an amazing cake and throw a party and invite all his…

"Oh damn." She muttered, her eyebrows dipping into a frown. She forgot. This kid didn't have any friends. Maybe that would make another great birthday present. _Hmph_. She definitely could have used some of those in her childhood.

Miu sighed as she contemplated how to get this kid some friends before his birthday started. Maybe she could go out picnicking and lure some of them with some delicious food… She blinked at how ridiculously _wrong_ her idea sounded and shook her head, faltering in her sword strike, giving an opening to the invisible enemy— _idiot_. Firstly this made her sound like a pedophile—which she was most definitely _not_. Second, it would never work. Never, ever, not in a million years. Well, unless it was Akimichi's kid. She snorted at that. He'd fall for it hook, line and sinker. Hey, maybe she _could_ attempt it. It couldn't hurt to try right? She grinned to herself and nodded. Yeah, the moment it was good weather she and Naruto would go out friend hunting!

And third… She noted to herself, she shouldn't think about kiddy luring while she was fighting. It was a bad idea and would only lead to instant death.

Okay, now that was settled, she thought of how to break the adoption thing to him. Miu furrowed her brow. She hadn't told him tonight. She had been hesitating and just decided to put it off for tomorrow, which wasn't really like her. Was she unsure that he would reject her? That he would rather go back to that hell-hole instead of staying here with her? Or was it her own insecurities that made her hesitate? It was probably a bit of both, and she hated that. Of course she couldn't know what Naruto would choose, but as she analyzed his behavior, he really _did_ seem to like it here with her.

Miu couldn't believe how attached she had become to the kid in only, what? A day and half? She really wasn't one to let people in so easily, it had taken her a long time to befriend Kurenai and the others. She admitted that she had bonded with Anko a lot easier than with the rest, probably due to their similar personality and something in Anko's eyes that had somehow reminded her of herself. But Naruto… he had somehow managed to slip through her defenses and capture her heart. Really she wasn't _that _impulsive to adopt a kid on a whim. Never. She may have liked kids, but taking care of a kid was a lot of work. It would take a lot of time and care. She would probably think of it as a burden or it would be like an obligation to her.

But not with him. She had genuinely started to care for him, to want the best for him and she hoped to provide that. She hoped that he would see an older sister in her, someone he could confide in and just be with, so that he didn't have to be alone. And just like she had told the hokage, it was a two-way road. Having Naruto here was unexplainable. It livened things up and reminded her of a childhood she never had … It gave her a sense of belonging in this village that strangely hadn't been there before. Having someone waiting for her at this house was a welcoming first. She had always had an empty feeling by coming home alone, which was why she hung out with her friends as much as possible, or why she invited Anko and even the others over to get wasted together. The only thing that scared Miu more than letting people in, was the idea of being alone.

But Naruto aside, Kurenai was another matter that worried her. Her eyes narrowed and she lashed out with her sword a bit more viciously than needed before going back to her normal pace. Miu wondered how Anko was doing with Kurenai. It would be great if she could get her to understand, but it probably wouldn't go that smoothly. She'd have to drop by and kindly introduce Naruto to her.

Even Anko had had some prejudice about the kid. The villagers made him out to be a monster, and really just thinking of someone being able to hold a five thousand foot demon fox made out of chakra _was_ kind of frightening. But _seeing_ him was a whole other thing. It was just a _kid. _No super-human or half monster. It was just a cute little kid, with three whisker marks on his face. And Miu wanted Kurenai to see and understand that. To know that Kyuubi was not Naruto and that Kyuubi had no chance of ever getting out. Minato-san's sealing method had been flawless and perfectly done. She smirked as she remembered that Naruto would be tapping Kyuubi's chakra, bit by bit, making it his own. Ha! That should teach that damn beast! It would ensure that it died forever and would never regenerate again.

She should probably do that first thing tomorrow. Kindly "invite" Kurenai for breakfast or something and talk some sense into her. But there was always the risk… what if Kurenai didn't come around and didn't accept Naruto? What should she do then? Miu shook her head. Kurenai would understand, she was sure of it!

Miu fastened her pace, bit by bit.

She would do her best, just like she always did, but the final decision was Kurenai's. So she just believed in the girl that she had come to like in the past six months and concentrated on her katas as she went through them one final time.

* * *

Anko sighed, grumbling at what she had to do, before knocking on the door of her friend's apartment. She heard her friend's footsteps and steeled herself for the conversation that would take place.

Kurenai opened her door and shot Anko a smile when she saw it was her. She stepped back and let her in.

"I knew you'd come back." Kurenai told her. Anko smiled at that. She _was_ kind of predictable, huh. "Do you want a cup of tea?"

"Yeah, that would be great." Anko sat down on the leather sofa and looked around, everything was still as tidy as ever.

Kurenai came back with two steaming cups, and put one down in front of her. Anko took a sip and sighed. If only she had some dango now, everything would be awesome. Pushing that thought away, she put her teacup down and faced her friend.

"You know I don't like beating around the bush, so I'll come to the point." Kurenai nodded.

"You should talk to Miu." Anko shook her head before Kurenai could start protesting. "I know you don't want to see Naruto… I know you don't even want to be anywhere near him. But you should hear Miu out. She has good reasons why she's doing what she's doing, and you won't understand until you go see her."

"I know, Anko. I was planning to do that already." Anko just kept frowning and continued as if she hadn't heard her.

"_Really_ Kurenai, you should go and – Wait, what? You will?" Kurenai rolled her eyes at her friend's slowness.

"Yes, Anko. I want to talk to her. After talking to you this morning, I've been thinking all this time. Miu's my friend and that won't change, no matter how much I hate it." Anko tried not to cringe at how she referred to Naruto.

"Just… I don't want to meet _him_. Do you know when I'll be able to catch Miu alone?" Anko regarded her friend for a moment. This was better than what she was expecting. If only Miu could have a talk with Kurenai, she may be able to convince her friend to finally accept Naruto.

"Miu goes out running every morning. She returns around 6.45. You should probably be there around 7. Naruto will still be sleeping by then." Probably. Well, her job here was done. Now it was up to Miu to persuade her friend. She was looking forward to her cake and dango.

Kurenai nodded. "I'll go at seven then."

Anko nodded and then lazily stretched herself over the couch.

"Aaaah~! That's it then! Ne, Kurenai do you have some dango? I'm starving over here!" Kurenai just sighed at her friend's nonchalance, before pointing a finger in the direction of the kitchen.

"Over there." Kurenai almost fell off the sofa at the speed Anko ran to get her precious dango. In less than a second, she was sitting in front of her again with a content grin on her face, munching on her precious Dango.

* * *

She was making her way through the trees. For a moment she didn't understand where she was or what she was doing, until she felt a sudden shock of understanding. She jumped down, looking at the enemy base she had destroyed so many years ago. Her legs kept moving on their own, as she desperately tried to gain control of her body. She had to stop, she had to turn back, _right now_!

She was trapped in the body of her nine-year-old self, not being able to do anything as she helplessly watched her nightmare unfold again.

Miu drew a kunai, as she slowly made her way to the enemy base. She had planted explosive tags at the north and east side of the camp, while she made her way in south. She raised her fingers into the tiger hand seal, triggering the bombs with a small amount of chakra. As she had predicted, the bandits were drawn out and made their way to the smoldering tents and going straight to where her mud clones were waiting. She held her eyes on one of the tents in the middle of the camp, sighing in relief as three people left from there to see what the ruckus was all about.

She stealthily made her way inside the tent and looked around for the documents she had been searching. Finding a safe in a corner, she broke it open. In hindsight, she should have checked if there really had only been three men in the tent. Information was crucial. With the wrong information, one could make a wrong decision and pay for it dearly in the end. And just like every other time, the younger Miu ignored her warning calls.

As the younger Miu shuffled through the papers, she confirmed that it was the documents she had been looking for. Putting them away quickly, she felt her hair stand on end, realizing a bit too late that there had been a fourth man hiding in the shadows, she tried to turn her body around to defend herself. _Too late_. He had a smug smile on his face as he swung his sword down. It was like time stood still as the sword slashed through her clothing and straight into her back. She let out a strangled cry, almost blacking out from the pain, but she quickly moved away as he was coming again.

She jumped up and lodged a kunai into his leg, making him slow down. He screamed out in pain, grabbing for his sword and slashing around wildly. She dodged them, her eyes still wide with fear. While dodging another slash, she stumbled over the safe she had opened earlier, landing on her already aching back. She blacked out again, her eyes focusing again just as he brought his sword down again. Her training finally taking over, she whipped out a kunai, jumped up to avoid his sword, and without thinking, lodged the kunai between his eyes.

She snapped out of her crazed daze as she felt something wet drop on her cheek and run along her hand. She brought up a trembling hand and brushed it away, looking at her hand she saw blood. _His blood. _His sword fell from his grip and to the ground, his body soon followed, toppling her over with him.

Miu just sat there wide eyed. After what seemed like an eternity, she pushed the man off of her and looked right into his lifeless eyes.

"You killed me." His corpse whispered and she screamed. Disgusted at her own actions and feelings of guilt threatening to suffocate her as she failed to hold in her breakfast. _Her first kill_. She had just _murdered someone. _She got up and saw the blood. It was _everywhere_, and she was wishing for it to _end already._

In a flash, her surroundings changed. The tent disappeared as she was outside again, her body changed to be fourteen. There was a fire, and several building had collapsed already. She had a bad feeling she knew where this was and her fears were confirmed as her dead attacker turned into a six-year-old girl. Her big brown eyes looked at her accusingly, her short brown hair turning an ugly shade of red as she slowly bled out. Miu wanted to stop the bleeding, stop the blood from being _everywhere again_. She took a step towards the child.

"You promised. You said you would save me. I trusted you, you _liar._" She accused, making her stop dead in her tracks.

"No Aoi-chan I—"

"_You murderer!" _Aoi's mother screamed as she hugged her dead child to her body. Her eyes red from crying, tears still streaming down her face. Her eyes were cold and hateful. Accusing her. "_Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!_"

"I'm sorry…" She whispered weakly. She took a step back, and another, and another, until she was running towards the darkness of the woods, her own tears streaming down her face, still whispering apologies like a mantra. Her heart felt like it was being ripped apart. The guilt was killing her. _I broke my promise. I failed to protect her._

As she ran, the trees kept disappearing. When she noticed, she stopped and looked around. There was only darkness. She took a step forward, a bit apprehensive and thoroughly confused.

Where was she? She didn't recognize this place. Taking another step forward, she felt as if she were walking through… something wet. She looked down and saw that she was standing in a red river. A red river of _blood_. She turned around, just about to scream and scramble away, _away from all the blood_¸ when she saw what had caused all this blood in the first place. The bodies of woman, men and children alike were strewn across the black vastness. She could see the deep stab wounds, a few kunai and swords sticking out from the unmoving bodies that littered the ground. Their blood was drawing small lines to the river she was standing in. These were people from her clan, she realized. She took a step back. Her head seemed to be swaying, everything was moving. She felt her hands trembling and bile rise into her throat.

No… a memory flashed in front of her eyes. _Her nephew trying to defend himself as he was stabbed again and again and again. His blood everywhere, and it just didn't stop._

Her breathing was harsh. She could feel the blood rush through her ears, her eyes wide with terror as she took another step back… bumping into something hard. She turned around, her eyes widening in horror as she saw the dead corpses of her own parents.

"Mom, dad…" she stared at their lifeless green eyes, as sobs wracked her body.

It's your fault. _It's all your fault._

_You promised, you liar!_

_Murderer!_

You should have never been born, having you was a mistake.

_You should just DIE!_

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. _I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._"

She screamed, falling to her knees, closing her eyes, covering her ears to _stop_ those accusing voices in her head.

Then everything went silent.

After what seemed like an eternity, she slowly got up, still standing in that redness. She looked around her. Everyone was gone.

Suddenly there was a blinding pain in her chest, making it hard to breathe. She slowly looked down and saw the blade of a katana sticking out of her body. Blood was seeping down into the redness beneath her. She marveled at the glimmering blade that was red with her blood. Why? She wondered. And then another question. Who? She looked over her shoulder and could only see darkness. She felt her body go numb. She fell to her knees again, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. Panic surged through her entire body.

She started seeing black spots, taking the redness away.

No. No, _no_, _no!_ She didn't want this. _Why was it so damn dark?_ The sheer amount of panic overwhelmed her as she felt that there was danger, danger, _danger and she had to get away! _Everything seemed to move and she screamed.

'Please, someone, _help me!_'

* * *

Miu woke up with a start. She panicked as her body was paralyzed for a second, jumping out of the crumpled sheets and onto the ground as soon as she could move again. Without missing a beat she whipped out a kunai from the seal on her wrist and brought it in front of her face in a defensive position. Her hand was trembling, her panicked eyes darting around the room. There was no one here. No one…

Her knees buckled underneath her and she tried to keep her food down and _inside_ her stomach.

What the hell _was that_?

She looked down as something wet hit her thigh. And then it happened again. She brought a trembling hand to her face. Tears. Not blood. Yet she could see her hands flashing red again, dripping with the blood of everyone she had killed. Sobs wracked her body as she tried to get rid of that terrifying feeling, absentmindedly she fingered the place that sword had stabbed her, confirming that there was no wound.

Her first kill. Her first broken promise. Her clan's massacre. And then the death of her parents. The scar on her back was aching, her heart wrenching in her chest and her head throbbing with a dull pain.

She wished she was four again so that she could seek comfort with the warmth of her parents, snuggling in with them underneath the covers. She wished there was someone that would hug her and make this suffering _stop_.

Her heart jumped into her throat as she heard her door open. She had a kunai already in her hand, bringing it into a defensive position again… and dropped it as soon as she saw who it was.

"Naruto?" Her voice came out broken and surprised. She forgot that she didn't live alone anymore.

The little boy entered, sleepily rubbing his eye. "Miu-san?" He asked. _I can't let him see me like this._ Miu quickly whipped her tears away, to no avail really, as new ones kept streaking down her face.

"W-what are you doing up, Naruto-kun?" She asked, hating how her voice cracked again. He slowly made his way towards her and sat down right in front of her.

She inched away from him, hiding her hands in her lap. _Her hands bloodied with murder_.

"I woke up because you were crying Miu-san." He told her softly. "Are you okay?"

She opened her mouth, about to tell him that she was okay and that he didn't need to worry. She was about to deny crying at all, but she stopped as she could still feel the tears streaking down her face.

"I'll be okay. It was just a nightmare." She whispered back. He sat there quietly.

"Does it hurt?" She almost sobbed at his childish innocence and just shook her head. _It hurts, it hurts really bad_.

"The pain will go away." She answered instead. He got up at this and she warily watched him as he got closer and closer until he finally wrapped his little arms around her neck. His little body was warm, unlike the unforgiving, cold wall she was leaning against. Instinctively she brought her arms up, about to hug him back as she remembered the blood on her hands and dropped them into her lap again.

"It's okay, Miu-san. You don't have to cry anymore. It's okay." He told her as he slowly patted her head. It was his words and his comforting touch that did it.

She broke.

A sob escaped her lips, before she could stop it. She wrapped her trembling arms around the blond boy, as she brought him down on her lap. She relished in the warmth and the comfort and _cried_, holding onto him as if he were a lifeline.

Her sobs eventually turned to sniffling, her breaths becoming even again. She slowly raised her head and looked into the comforting blue eyes of the kid in front of her. And then she realized in horror what she had done. She had cried on a four-year-olds shoulder! She was sixteen, dammit! She should be the one doing the comforting and protecting, not the other way around!

Miu was brought out of her shock by the sound of Naruto giggling. She looked into his smiling face, and couldn't help but smile back.

"What's so funny?" She asked in mock annoyance, a playful pout on her face.

"Your face." He replied seriously. She blinked at this, feeling her cheeks heat up as she processed what he had said.

"Well, I'm sorry for looking like a mess." She told him, a real pout on her face this time. He giggled again and shook his head.

"'S not what I meant. Your eyes were open wide. Like an owl." He clarified and pulled an overly adorable version of her shocked face. She burst out laughing and he joined her. They stopped after a while, their sides and jaws hurting.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." And it seemed like he had understood her underlying meaning. _Thank you for being here, thank you for comforting me, thank you for letting me cry and making me smile._ Because he nodded against her shoulder, a small smile on his face.

She got up and picked him up with her. "Let's change your shirt. You can't sleep when it's wet. And I have to wash my face."

She took him to his room, not putting him down as she picked up one of his new shirts. She sat down on the bed with him. Quickly changing his shirt, before dragging him off to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and saw that, yes, her face really was a mess. She reluctantly put him down as she washed away the stickiness of the tears and dried her face off. In a flash, she picked him up again and left his room.

"Miu-san, we just left my room." He told her. She shushed him for the moment, and entered her own room. She gingerly put him down on her bed as he curiously looked up at her.

"Stay with me." She told him, puffing up her face shyly. At his surprised expression she straightened her covers, covering him. "Scoot over." He smiled as he understood she was doing and scooted over to the left side of the bed. She turned off her light and slipped into her bed.

She watched the kid intently, a small smile on her face.

That nightmare. It was one that she had been having frequently. The only thing different was that, instead of it being different dreams, they had all been stringed together. And the end… she had been stabbed by someone. That had never happened before. She shuddered as she remembered that terrifying feeling she had woken up to. She raised a hand and gingerly brushed through Naruto's hair.

"It's warm," He whispered, she hummed in agreement, gently tracing his whisker-like marks. He leant into her hand, making her smile. "It is."

"Sorry I woke you up." She said after a pause. "'S okay." Naruto assured her, his words slurring as he was falling asleep again.

"Good night, Naruto-kun." She kissed him on the forehead and smiled at the boy's sleeping face.

That night Miu did not shower for an hour to get the invisible blood off her hands. Nor did she go outside to train her body to exhaustion to keep her mind off things, because she knew she couldn't go back to sleep. That night Miu slept peacefully next to the boy she had totally and completely accepted as family.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto woke up to the smell of breakfast. His nose twitched as he inhaled the smell, making his stomach grumble. He gingerly opened his eyes, and sleepily watched the few rays of sunshine that slipped through the closed curtains. The lights shined onto the blue wall, bathing it in a yellow hue. _…Blue?_ He blinked at that. Wait a second, this wasn't his room! He bolted upright and let his now alert eyes roam over the room. This was Miu-san's room! Why was he…? Oh. In a flash he remembered what had happened yesterday.

Miu-san coming home, making a delicious strawberry cake together, having dinner, studying, drawing and then… then he was tucked in by Miu-san. She had kissed him goodnight and he had fallen asleep. And then… _her scream._ Naruto shuddered as he remembered that _horrible scream_. And after that he had heard sobs. Naruto remembered opening the door to her room, and making out Miu-san who sat on the ground, against the wall, tears were streaking down her face and she had held something sharp. _Wasn't that thing called a kunai? _Miu-san had been … _different. _Her face, her eyes, her voice. She had been _scared_ and _sad_. Extremely so. It was so _odd_ seeing Miu-san like that. Miu-san was strong and happy and nice. She had told him it had been a nightmare and Naruto remembered the nights that he himself had woken up in the middle of the night, screaming and crying and feeling _so lonely _and he remembered that he had wished that someone, _anyone _would just give him a hug, so that some of that loneliness would go away, so that he wouldn't have to be scared anymore.

And so he had given Miu-san what he would have wanted. A hug. And Miu-san had suddenly started crying and pulled him on her lap and he just kept hugging her, because he just wanted Miu-san to _smile _and be _happy_ and dance around with a whipped cream mustache like she had done that evening. Eventually Miu-san had quieted down and she made such a funny face that he couldn't have kept down that laugh that bubbled from his belly and shook him to his core. And then she had laughed too and _thanked _him with so much emotion that he felt his heart miss a beat, and his stomach churn. Nobody had _ever _thanked him like that before and he felt so _proud _of himself, but he just hugged her again and smiled.

She had taken him to his room to change his shirt and even though she wasn't letting him go, he knew that she would leave him in his room, tucking him in and kissing him on his forehead again before leaving. But she didn't. She had taken him to her own room and had asked him to stay with her. He had scooted over and had watched curiously as Miu-san lied down next to him, before snuggling into her covers. She had brushed his hair gently and he felt so at _peace _and everything was so warm and he remembered just falling asleep.

Now that Naruto was awake he wiggled himself of the bed, his feet hitting the cold floor. He hissed as he pulled his feet up again, searching for his slippers, which he remembered, he had left in his own room. Steeling himself, he jumped off the bed and raced through the corridor to his room. –_His room. _The thought still made him all giddy inside. He found his slippers and slipped into them, sighing at the warmth around his feet. Now that was done, he peeped over the banister and blinked curiously as he heard someone talking to Miu-san. That wasn't Mitarashi-san, it was someone else. For a second, he felt a pang of fear. _The person downstairs wouldn't hurt me, right? _Before he remembered that Miu-san had said that she was having a friend over. He cautiously made his way downstairs and padded into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Miu-san." He greeted as soon as he saw her, a smile adorning his face. He couldn't see the other person that he had heard talking so he made his way into the kitchen and stopped as he saw the red eyed woman sitting at the table. Her eyes went wide and her mouth formed a small "o" as she saw him. Naruto felt a bit uneasy at that. Mitarashi-san had done the same when she had seen him the first time. Well, it was better than the hateful looks the villagers gave him.

He made his way to the woman sitting at the table and bowed – He had seen Miu-san greeting other people like that too and when he had asked she had shown him the polite way to greet a stranger. He raised his head again and smiled.

"Good morning, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Pleased to meet you!" He then sat down on the opposite side and shot Miu-san a questioning look.

"Miu-san, is this my plate?" Naruto frowned as Miu seemed a little pale. Was she okay? Did she get enough sleep? Was something bothering her? But then her face broke into a gentle smile. "Good morning, Naruto-kun. Yeah, that's your plate." And this time, Naruto noticed something in her eyes, something that made him feel all warm inside. Something had changed, he concluded, as he ate his delicious eggs and bacon and toast. There was that thing in Miu-san eyes that hadn't been there before and strangely enough _something else_ had disappeared. He turned his gaze to the visitor that was intently watching him and Miu-san, her eyes going back and forth between them.

Naruto watched as she opened her mouth and then closed it again. Her eyes darting to his and he just blinked at her, before she looked at Miu-san again and dragged her out of the room and into the backyard. Naruto blinked at the strange woman. _She didn't even introduce herself._ Hadn't Miu-san said that you should always offer your name? Wasn't that the polite thing to do? Hmm, maybe Miu-san's friend wasn't feeling so well. She _had_ been looking kind of greenish. Naruto just shrugged and happily ate his breakfast. Miu-san would help her. They were friends after all.

* * *

Tsukino Miu stiffened when she felt someone open her gate. The chakra signature was familiar. It was _Kurenai's._ She realized in shock. _Why the hell is she here__!_ Miu quickly put on some clothes, toweling off her wet hair. She cursed as she heard the doorbell ring. She put her hair into a bun, securing it with a hairclip and made her way downstairs. She opened the door, just as Kurenai was about to ring again. They stood there for a second, just tensely staring each other down. And then Miu sighed and she let her friend in. She should have been the one to invite her for breakfast, but oh well, she could work with this too.

They both walked into the kitchen. The atmosphere was tense.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Miu asked, as she turned on the stove. She had wanted to prepare eggs and bacon for breakfast so that's what she went with. She boiled some water and made her friend tea while she waited for her to start talking.

"Anko visited me yesterday night." Miu nodded at that. She knew of course, Anko had told her before she had left. Had she convinced Kurenai?

"She told me about…_him_. But I wasn't really convinced." Miu tried not to flinch at how she had called Naruto. "I think you're making a mistake, Miu." Miu turned around at this and watched her friend with a cool expression on her face.

"Why do you think so?" Her voice was even, but she felt anger and disappointment gnawing on her insides. She served her friend her breakfast, which she ignored in favor of looking up to Miu with a disapproving frown. The disappointment and disapproval in her tone stung. She sat down in the seat opposite to Kurenai with a cup of tea and a piece of cake. She didn't bother offering her a piece too. Kurenai hated cake.

"Is this kid really worth the trouble, Miu? People are talking you know. The reputation you've been building over the past months, is all going to go down the drain if you keep this up. Why are you even keeping him here?—" Kurenai stopped talking when she saw the expression on her friends face.

"_I don't care_ what the other say. I don't give _a shit_ about my reputation. _Naruto is _worth the trouble." Miu practically hissed. She didn't regret what she said, but by the look on Kurenai's face, she could have been a bit gentler. People shouldn't have to be talking about him! He should be living a happy life with his parents, growing up with his friends and throwing the occasional temper tantrum.

"Tell me _why_? I just don't understand why you're doing what you're doing, Miu." Her tone was softer this time, honest confusion and frustration in her voice.

"The kid was born like any of us." She told her in a softer voice. "He lost his parents in an attack he had nothing to do with and was unluckily picked out of thousands of other children to become a sacrifice. A sacrifice that in the end holds the demon fox at bay and _away _from Konoha. He saved the village and yet from the moment it was revealed that he held the fox, people began to ask for his execution. He has been hated _all of his life. _He's been beaten again and again. He had to _run away_ from the orphanage so that his wounds got the chance to _heal._" Miu took a deep breath and continued.

"He's just a kid that's been abused and hated for an unjust reason. To him it seems like he did something wrong, like him being born was a _mistake. _He's just _four _years old, Kurenai. No kid should feel that way._" _Kurenai looked up at this and Miu saw the conflict in her eyes. Shock and sympathy warring with a deep seethed hatred for the monster that had killed her father.

"I won't ask you to understand and I really don't want to lose you." She told her. "But this is the decision I made and I'm not going back on it." She told her with an air of finality, feeling such a deep determination and _protectiveness _welling up inside, it surprised her. It was stronger than before. And she could _feel _that somehow, something had changed. But what was it?

Kurenai was quiet as Miu turned back to the stove to make Naruto's breakfast." She shot a look at her clock. _7.15. _Still a bit early, considering he had woken up in the middle of the night.

"When I saw the nine tails for the first time, I was terrified." Kurenai's voice pulled her roughly out of her thoughts. She put her full attention on her friend, listening intently on what she was going to say.

"When my dad told me and the others that it wasn't our battle to fight, I protested. I _wanted _to fight it. It was destroying my village after all. But when I saw it…" Her voice trailed off, her eyes glazing over as she _remembered_.

"It's fur was an orangey-red, just like it's eyes. It was towering so high, it crushed building and trees as if they were made from paper." She took a shuddering breath, before continuing. "The sheer_ pressure_ of its chakra was enough to make me fall to my knees and throw up. Miu, I-I can see that you care for this kid. But I… I _can't_. If I meet him, I'll just…" _be reminded of that horrible, horrible day._

"I see." It came out as a whisper. No matter how much it hurt, hearing that from her friend, it looked like it was tearing Kurenai apart just as much. She quickly turned to Naruto's breakfast on the stove, blinking away the tears.

She put the eggs and bacon on a plate and put it down on the table.

Should she call down Naruto right now? Would she change her mind if she saw him?

"Wouldn't you wait to see him, just once?" She asked. She wanted to persuade her to see him. She knew that she would give him a chance then, but her friend looked like she would faint the moment he would come in.

"Good Morning, Miu-san." Her body went rigid, hearing his voice. _This is bad._ But before she could do anything, he stepped further into the kitchen, giving Kurenai a clear view. Miu paled and her eyes widened in horror as he just greeted Kurenai in such a Naruto like way… _Had he heard them talking? Had he lost his mind? Kurenai wouldn't… wouldn't…_

And then he turned to her again, asking if his breakfast was his. She gave him a mute nod, before finally finding her voice again.

Something _had _changed. And when she saw his face, she knew what it was. The barriers she had built up had been taken down. That _void _that had torn open inside her heart when her family had died, was filling up. And even though there was a voice in her head that was berating her for letting someone in again, she smiled at him.

She noticed Kurenai watching them. Her mouth opened as she wanted to say something, but then closed again as nothing came out. She got up and dragged her out into the backyard. When they were far enough, Kurenai turned around. Her eyes were wide, the hand that was holding her was trembling.

"He—Who—but I—I, huh?" She ended. Frustration clear in her eyes. The hate was losing. Miu knew Kurenai was confused after seeing him like that, just like Anko had been the first time.

"I told you, didn't I? He's just a child." She told her friend softly. "He's not the Kyuubi, Kurenai. He's just Naruto who happens to have a demon fox sealed inside. They're two different beings. But you know that now, don't you?" Kurenai looked up at her with desperate eyes.

"But I can't just _forgive_ the Kyuubi! He_ killed my father_!"

"Kurenai, you don't have to forgive the Kyuubi at all. You just have to remember that the thing you're hating is not Naruto. The Kyuubi is locked away inside Naruto, with no chance of ever getting out. Just like any other prisoner. You can hate him and curse him for what it did, but don't let that hate cloud your judgment of Naruto, okay?"

And finally, finally, Kurenai gathered the courage to nod.

"I'll do my best. I promise."

And finally Miu felt a weight lift of her shoulders and she hugged her friend, whispering a 'thank you' in her ear. When Kurenai had calmed down, Miu took her back inside. She put the dirty dishes into the sink and made Kurenai a new cup of tea. She briefly wondered where Naruto went, but didn't worry about it. When the tea was done, the two girls made their way to the living room. When Miu opened the door, she was promptly jumped on by Naruto.

"Miu-san! Miu-san! You've _got _to _help _me!" His voice was frustrated.

"Naruto? What's wrong?" She asked, walking over to the table to put the cups down and then she noticed it. Papers. Papers everywhere!

"Naruto! Look at the mess you made!" She peeled him of her leg and set him down on her lap.

"Calm down and tell me what's wrong."

Naruto just pointed an accusing finger to the paper. She picked up and squinted her eyes, trying to decipher what was written.

"…What's this, Naruto-kun?" Naruto deflated a little and Miu picked up the other used papers lying on the table. She quickly went through them and saw that the one in the beginning had the first five letters of the alphabet on it. Well, almost five. There were two of them that looked like a scribble and it finally clicked in her mind.

"Oooh! Now I understand." She exclaimed. Meanwhile the boy on her lap was doing a pretty good job of rolling himself into a ball. She sighed.

"Naruto, sit up straight." He just stayed like that for a while, until he finally undid himself, but he still ducked his head and tried to hide his face.

"Were you trying to practice the alphabet?" A mute nod.

"You did a good job on three of them, but failed at two others, right?" Another nod.

"So you tried to practice on the two that you failed at, but you couldn't get them right, Am I wrong?" A shake of the head. Miu smiled and gently stroke his hair.

"It's okay to fail, Naruto-kun." But Naruto just shook his head again. And Miu finally lifted his chin up so that she could look at him. His eyes were sad and a bit wet. "It's okay to fail, Naruto-kun." She repeated and this time he answered.

"No! No, it's not Miu-san!" She just blinked at how vehemently he was denying her. "Why is it not, Naruto-kun?" Naruto sniffed and tried to look away from her blue eyes.

"Because… because, you spend so much time teaching me yesterday! I'm just too stupid, because I forgot!—" Miu decided that it was best to cut off Naruto here.

"Naruto," Naruto closed his mouth and looked her in the eyes again. "Y-yes?"

"Did you not get those three others right?" He gave a hesitant nod. "Then that's enough." His eyes widened at this again, but she shushed him before he could say anything else. She put him down again and she got up from the sofa and sat down on of the sitting cushions. Kurenai, who had been watching the whole exchange from the doorway, hesitantly sat down as Miu nodded to her with an apologetic smile.

"Look, let's just write them again, alright? Sit down." She patted the cushion besides her and Naruto hesitantly sat down. Miu picked up the pen and slowly wrote down the letters Naruto forgot. When she was done, she handed him the pen.

"Now you try." Naruto frowned at the pen in her hand, before taking it and trying to copy the letters Miu had written down. When he got them right, Miu nodded and gave Naruto a blank paper on which he wrote them again. He looked at the letters and smiled.

"Hey! I can do this! I remember them now, Miu-san!" Miu grinned and ruffled his hair.

"See, I knew you could do it. You have to remember Naruto-kun, you don't learn things in a day. You'll have to practice them again and again and again. Even the ones that you did right, you have to keep practicing them, or else you'll forget.

"Even the ones I had right?"

"Yes. You'll have to rewrite them hundreds of times. And as you keep writing them, you'll keep getting better at it." Naruto tilted his head and then nodded wisely.

"I see." Miu grinned and Naruto grinned back. That's when he finally saw the woman sitting on the couch, who had been watching them with a small smile.

Miu raised an eye at Naruto's hesitant expression upon seeing Kurenai. And in a beat it was replaced by determination. Naruto got up and walked so that he stood right in front of Kurenai.

"Good morning!" He said, bowing in greeting. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Uhm… What's your name?" He finished a bit hesitantly, a hand scratching the back of his head. Miu raised an eyebrow in amusement as Kurenai shot her a panicked look for a second.

"Ah… I—I'm Kurenai. Yuuhi Kurenai." Kurenai watched as Naruto's face lit up with a smile.

"I see, pleased to meet you, Yuuhi-san!" Kurenai's face relaxed at this and a slight smile made her way on her lips.

"I'm pleased to meet you too, Naruto-kun."

* * *

In heaven four people were… jumping up and down in joy as they watched yet another person accept Naruto.

"They did it! They did it!" Kazumi bellowed.

"Woohoo! Go Naruto! Go Miu!" Minato cheered.

"Awesome~!" Kushina screeched.

"My daughter's amazing!" Hiroshi cried.

And they all started laughing.

* * *

Kurenai stood still in front of the big black gate that would lead to Miu's house. The gates were unlocked, which meant that Miu was already home. Kurenai steeled herself and walked inside. She walked up to the porch and rang the doorbell.

She was about to ring again, when the door opened. Miu stood in the doorway and for a few seconds they just tensely stared at each other, until Miu sighed and let her in.

Kurenai had come with the full intention to interrogate her friend. She had come this early intentionally, knowing that the kid was still asleep and wouldn't disturb their conversation.

When she saw the boy, her mind went blank. He… wasn't what she had expected. His hair was spikey blond, that lay in a mess around his head. His eyes were sky blue. His face was round with baby fat. He had three little whisker like markings on his face.

The first thing she thought after seeing him was: _This kid is cute._

Her brain had kind of frozen after that and the kid came closer and had _introduced himself_.

"Good morning! My name's Uzumaki Naruto! Pleased to meet you." And then he smiled at her so brightly, she felt a pang in her heart. She just stared at him as he sat down on the opposite chair. She watched the kid interact with Miu and all she could was try not to gawk at the two of them. _What the hell was going on? _Kurenai shot her friend a look and her throat went dry at seeing her gentle eyes on him.

Miu had never looked at _anybody _like that. She followed her friends gaze back to the kid sitting right in front of her and she couldn't help but marvel at how _human _he looked. And with a shock she remembered that this kid held the Kyuubi sealed away. The demon that had destroyed Konoha, killed her Hokage and had killed her dad.

Kurenai opened her mouth. She wanted to ask Miu a million things. She wanted to understand _so bad. _But no sound came out and before she could register what she was doing, she had already taken Miu's hand and almost ran into the garden.

"He—Who—but I—I, huh?" She hated how her mouth refused to make up the words for the things she wanted to say. The emotions warring in her heart were making her dizzy.

"I told you, didn't I? He's just a child. He's not the Kyuubi, Kurenai. He's just Naruto who happens to have a demon fox sealed inside. They're two different beings. But you know that now, don't you?"

He wasn't. She _had _seen. But the hate that she had held onto for so long… she just couldn't let it go. The hate that was a stain on her otherwise good personality.

"But I can't just _forgive_ the Kyuubi! He_ killed my father_!"

But the thing she hated was the Kyuubi, not some _kid._

Kurenai found herself lost as what to do. She couldn't hate a kid, but she couldn't let go of her hate for the Kyuubi! She just couldn't forgive and forget about all it had done. About how bad it had ruined her life and the lives of so many others.

But he was an orphan too. He lost his parents too. He grew up without anyone around, surrounded by people that hated the kyuubi just like her. But could she hate this kid for something he had been so powerless over? Something that had happened to him when he was just a newborn baby?

_No. Of course not._

"Kurenai, you don't have to forgive the Kyuubi at all. You just have to remember that the thing that you hate isn't Naruto. The Kyuubi is locked away inside Naruto, with no chance of ever getting out. Just like any other prisoner. You can hate him and curse him for what it did, but don't let that hate cloud your judgment of Naruto, okay?"

And watching Miu talk to Naruto so warmly and with such a gentle expression on her face… She just couldn't take this away from her friend.

So, she promised. She promised her friend to try to get along, to not see the kid as the kyuubi. To not let her hatred for the kyuubi cloud her judgment of the blond haired child.

And as she saw him jump Miu the moment she had opened the door, she stood frozen, seeing this strange picture.

Almost like…

_Family._

* * *

Now that Kurenai was gone and she and Naruto were alone again, she had the prefect chance to tell him.

"Naruto-kun," She called, and he looked up from the drawing he had been making. "I have something to talk to you about." She patted the empty seat next to her and Naruto got up and sat down.

"What is it, Miu-san?" His voice was curious.

Miu took a sip from her tea before answering, trying to stop her throat from feeling so dry.

"Naruto, we've only know each other for two days. But in these two days that I've spent with you, I got to know you better. I found out what you went through in the past, and I discovered that you are a very nice and gentle little boy. Remember, that I told you that I wanted you to stay here with me?"

A worried look flashed over his face. "You want me to leave?" Miu shook her head and chuckled.

"I didn't say that, now did I?" Naruto just shook his head, relief in his eyes.

"I…normally I wanted to wait 'till the end of the week to ask you. I wanted to give you a week to decide, but I think I can tell you now. If you want more time, I'll just wait for your answer at the end of the week."

Naruto's curious eyes blinked up at her.

"What did you want to ask me, Miu-san?"

"Naruto… you've never had the experience of having a family. You've always been alone and isolated. I… I lost my family and my parents, all in a short period of time. There was this gaping hole, Naruto-kun. A hole that couldn't be filled, no matter what I did. And it ached every time I came home to an empty house, every time that I wanted to ask them or tell them something. I have wonderful friends, Naruto-kun, but at the end of the day, they have their own homes to go back to. I miss seeing my parents, my family. I miss the warm feeling a house should have. And this empty feeling in my heart just wouldn't go away, because I know that my parents are _gone _and they're never coming back.

"But… one day I found this boy on my doorstep. He was so, so hurt and I was really upset at seeing him like that. After healing his wounds, I talked to him and we went out the day after that. We played and spend time together and I had _so _much fun." She gave him a gentle, gentle smile. "I had so much fun with _you_.

"This house had become so lively and felt so much like a real home after you came. I let you stay here, but to be honest, there was more to it. I know how bad the village has been treating you, how bad the orphanage has been treating you and I don't want you to go back there, I want you to be happy and I don't want you to be alone, like you were before. I want you to stay here with me." Miu steeled herself and looked him fiercely in the eyes.

"I want to adopt you." There. She said it.

Miu watched as Naruto's eyes turned wide and his mouth turned into a small 'o'. She almost _saw _the gears in his head turning as he stared at her. And then his eyes widened even more as he realized just _what _she had said and he lifted a small hand, and pointed a small finger at himself.

"_Me?" _He asked in a small voice. Miu just nodded and smiled at him gently.

"Yes, you."

"Y-you want to a-adopt…" He trailed off, his eyes filling with tears.

Miu had to blink her own tears away and pulled the kid on her lap.

"Yes, Naruto. I want to adopt you…" She told him again. "Stay here with me. Let me protect you. Let me be your family…. W-will you?"

"M-miu-san?" Miu quickly blinked her tears away and nodded

"Yeah?"

"This isn't a dream, is it?" He asked with a sad chuckle, a tint of desperation in his voice. "If it is, I never want to wake up." She just shook her head.

"I promise you, it isn't. You don't have to dream about this anymore, Naruto-kun, because I want to make it a reality for you."

She felt Naruto shudder as a sob wracked his body as he finally started to cry.

"M-miu-san! Miu-san! Please promise—please promise me you won't abandon me! You won't leave me anymore, right? Please… I don't ever want to feel like that again! I don't want to be alone anymore! I don't want to go back to the orphanage. I want to stay here with you in this house. W-when I'm with you, I don't feel alone anymore. I feel all warm inside and you make me really happy. Even the hate of the villagers didn't hurt as much as before. Because you make the pain go away." He held her tightly as if she would leave and disappear otherwise.

"I—I want to stay with you!" he cried, tightening his grip on her even more. Miu clenched her teeth as a few tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes.

"I'll stay with you, Naruto-kun." She told him in a whisper and just held him as he cried, trying to stifle her own sobs. He had accepted to stay and she felt herself fill with warmth for this boy.

Her precious little brother.

* * *

When Naruto finally calmed down, they just sat cuddled up together on the sofa. Naruto still sat on her lap, his left hand clenched into the material of her shirt, his head leaning on Miu's shoulder. He had a concentrated look on his face as he was still mulling over the things that happened. Miu sat there with a small smile on her face as she gently stroked Naruto's hair.

"Ne, Miu-san?" Naruto's call broke her out of her peaceful trance and she looked down to meet his eyes. "Hmm?" She hummed in question.

"Are you my sister now?" Miu nodded. "Yes I am. And you're my little brother now."

On the inside she was squealing and rolling around.

_Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayy! I'm getting a little brother! A little brother! I get to teach him and spoil him and we can watch movies together and we can go do a picnic and a barbeque and, and we can bake cookies together and I can see him grow up and find him a girlfriend and I can pinch his cheeks and annoy him and kyaaaa ~ !_

On the outside she just gave him a silly grin. "I'm really happy about that." She said, explaining herself before he could ask.

Naruto just blinked up at her and she almost squealed at the cute blush dusting his cheeks.

"Thank you for this, Miu-nee-chan." And with that Miu blushed a brilliant shade of red and effectively choked on air. Hard. Naruto's amazed look slowly morphed into an impish grin.

And at that moment Miu could just die and go to heaven, but of course that wouldn't do. _Got to stay alive and take care of Naruto._

And as she breathed normally again, she gave him another kiss on his forehead and he smiled, absolutely content.

"You're very welcome, little brother.

* * *

**A/N: **So what did you think? Was it good, bad? Did something bother you? Catch your eye? Let me know! Concrit is always welcome.


	6. Chapter 6: You were loved

**A/N: **Hello everybody! I'm baaack! Sorry it took so long! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed my story! You guys are awesome! And thanks to shirotora chan for betareading this chapter too!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

**Chapter 6: You were loved**

Miu was currently bent over a paper tag, her brow pinched in concentration, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she carefully applied steady strokes onto the paper. Sitting across of her, Naruto was in the same position, diligently practicing writing the letters he had learned.

After their somewhat emotional morning, they had talked to each other and had just laughed and played. They'd made some plans on how to decorate his room over lunch and after that Miu had wanted to restock on her seals. She wanted a few of them for her fight against Anko and she had been running out. Now that she didn't have anything to do she decided to get it done.

When the doorbell rang, Naruto and Miu both looked up from their work and Miu got up with a sigh.

"I'll get it." She mumbled. Opening the door she was almost run over by an impatient Anko.

"Finally! I've been waiting for an eternity for you to open the door! Where the hell were you?" She exclaimed and went in like she owned the place. Miu just rolled her eyes at her friend's behavior, before following her into the kitchen.

"Yeah, well I was busy and I didn't sense you coming. I am _so_ sorry that you had to wait for someone to open the door."

Naruto who heard them talking, popped his head out of the living room and padded into the kitchen with curious eyes.

"A guest, nee-chan?"

Anko, who had been in the process of asking for tea as she sat on one of the kitchen chairs, effectively choked on her words and almost fell off said chair to turn around and look at Naruto.

"H-he—_You_…" Anko turned to Miu pointing an accusing finger with a big fat grin on her face. "You _finally _told him!" And then her grin grew wider. "He called you _nee-chan_!" She said, before cackling loudly, scaring the two other occupants of the room.

Anko jumped out of the chair and crouched down in front of Naruto, who quickly threw a helpless look in his sister's direction, before confronting his assailant.

"Uh… Good afternoon, Mitarashi-san?" Anko grinned at him and ruffled his blond locks. The action surprised Naruto a little, as Miu was the only one who had ever done that.

"None of that little guy! Now that you're a part of Miu's family, you don't have to be so formal anymore! Just call me Anko, okay, kid?" Naruto just nodded a bit dazedly as she accepted him as part of Miu's family as if it was the most normal thing ever.

Anko then got up and waltzed over to her friend who had been watching the display with a fond smile.

"See, I told you he would start calling you that soon enough, _Miu-nee-chan_~" She told her smugly, making Miu turn a brilliant shade of red.

"Don't call me that, Anko. You're freaking me out." Miu told her friend sternly, but there was a smile in her voice.

"Hoho, the name's reserved, huuuh?" Miu's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as she snapped at her friend.

"Okay, that's enough! Or no tea for you." Anko just turned around and sat down. Miu made Anko's tea and got a slice of strawberry cake from the fridge, much to Anko's joy.

"Ah, you baked another cake!" Miu nodded and put the plate down in front of her friend.

"Yeah, we baked it yesterday." Miu turned to Naruto at this and raised an eyebrow. "You want some too, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shook his head. "I'm still full from lunch, maybe later." Miu nodded.

"Ah, Miu. I'll be leaving tomorrow." Miu turned to her friend and sat down on the seat across from her. "It's a B-rank, I'll probably take about two to three weeks." Miu nodded and smiled.

"Be sure to come home quickly, I'll treat you to a tray of dango then." _Don't die, okay?_

Anko grinned back. "Yeah, dango! I will, I'll kick those guys' asses and I'll be back in no time!" _I won't._

Miu grinned back and thumped her friend on her back.

"I know you will!"

* * *

When Anko was done with eating, she got up.

"Now that I've eaten, I'm aaaaall ready for our match!" Miu smiled and got up too. Naruto instantly started beaming and got up and scurried to Miu's side.

"You're going to spar again! I wanna watch!" Miu grinned and nodded.

"Let's go then." Miu and Anko headed for the door, while Naruto followed them. "Ne, Nee-chan?" She looked up, already done with putting her sandals on.

"What is it?"

"Um, why are you going out? I thought you were gonna spar?" Miu nodded and got him his little sandals. He got them and pulled them on.

"We are. But we'll be doing a spar with jutsus, so we're going to a training field."

"Jutsu?" She nodded.

"Ninja techniques. They're pretty destructive, so I can't use them when we're training in the back yard. We wouldn't want to destroy the garden, now would we?" Naruto shook his head vehemently at that and she smiled. She held out her hand.

"Come on let's go." He nodded and took her hand with a grin.

"Yeah!"

Miu closed the gates behind her as they left the compound.

Naruto looked around and turned to look at Miu again.

"Nee-chan?" Miu looked up from her conversation with Anko. "Yeah?"

"Why are you living in the middle of a forest? I mean, couldn't the house be on the streets with the other houses?" Miu puckered her lips at that and looked up in thought.

"After my clan died and only my parents were left, they had this house built here. I have no idea why though…" She told him. "And it's not really in the middle of the forest, you know. We actually don't live that far from the Hyuuga clan home."

"Those people with their stony faces and white eyes?" He asked. Anko shot Miu an amused glance, but she ignored it, fighting to keep the grin of her face and nodded.

"Yeah, but don't call them that, it's rude, okay?" Naruto nodded seriously and agreed.

"It's still true though." Anko mumbled and Miu shot her a glare.

Miu and Anko suddenly tensed, when they noticed they had left the forest and were now being assaulted with glares. Miu narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on Naruto's hand, instinctively moving closer to him in a protective gesture. Anko, who had been too distracted with Kurenai yesterday, now understood what had Miu so riled up. These looks were awful. She clenched her teeth as she was reminded of the same looks she had been given when she had been found after Orochimaru had abandoned her in the land of sea. People looking at her and judging her as she walked past them, the whispers that had seemingly followed her everywhere.

"Tch…"

Miu saw her friend's hand itching towards her kunai pouch and she forced her body to relax slightly. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile on her face.

"I can't wait to show you my techniques, Naruto-kun!" She told him with cheer in her voice. Anko relaxed when she heard Miu's voice and Naruto who was in the process of looking down again, looked up.

"You mean your ninja techniques?" He asked her in a small voice. Miu nodded proudly and grinned.

"Yeah they're super awesome! I'll totally defeat Anko in that spar!" She said haughtily. Anko, taking her cue, grinned back maliciously at her friend, an edge of relief in her voice.

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that! I'll totally beat you—"

Miu's grin fell as she suddenly noticed the festival decorations that were being put up.

"Huh?" She mumbled in confusion. Miu stopped walking and turned to Anko with a questioning look on her face.

"Anko, is there a festival coming up?" Anko looked surprised for a second, before shooting the curious boy at her friend's side a look.

"Ah… there is." Miu's eyes lightened up at that and she smiled.

"Really? Maybe we could go to—"

"It's on the tenth of October." Anko interrupted. "They've been celebrating the Fox's fall and the Fourth's victory for two years now." She added quietly.

Miu stilled at that, the smile disappearing from her face.

"It's on the same day as my birthday…" Naruto mumbled quietly.

"Ah. I see…" She whispered.

Miu clenched her jaw and balled her free fist, trying to control herself from ripping off the decorations around her. Now that she looked closely, they were _everywhere_. And it really hurt. _The fourth's victory_. As if Minato-san was still alive, as if his whole family hadn't been ripped apart that day. As if the Kyuubi had really been defeated that day.

She shot the boy at her side a look.

_This wasn't right._ This was the day Minato-san and Kushina-san died. This was the day that Naruto's fate had been sealed. This was the day they left their newborn son behind, with a village full of sad and mourning people.

This wasn't a day to be celebrated! She looked at the happy faces of the people around her, smiling and seemingly looking forward to the festival.

Even though she told Naruto that she would celebrate it, a small part of her would surely be mourning the death of a couple she thought of as family. She would celebrate his birthday to make him happy, because like she said, it really was a day to celebrate. She _was _glad that he was born. But the people of Konoha made this festival look like a joyous event, when it was most definitely _not._ Rather than mourning those lost, they seemed to be celebrating instead.

"You shouldn't worry about that." Miu told him in a curt tone, as his words finally made it through her angry haze. "We won't be going." And after that she promptly turned on her heel and walked off to the area where the training fields were.

Now that Miu thought about it, their fifth death anniversary was approaching. She had been avoiding going to the monument while she was still grieving for her parents, but now that her feelings had finally settled down a bit… she should probably go to pay her respects.

"Nee-chan?" The small whisper drew her back to the present and she looked down to meet worried blue eyes. "Are you okay?" Anko who was standing behind him, looked as if she wanted to ask the same.

Miu sighed, relaxing her tense posture and smiled again. She crouched down and ruffled his locks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that." Naruto tentatively smiled back and shook his head. "It's okay."

"C'mon, let's go."

* * *

When the trio entered the training field, Naruto's mouth fell open in awe.

"It's _huge_!"

Miu chuckled at his enthusiasm. It was a normal training field. Just a big clearing with a small stream flowing through the northern part of it. Miu looked around for a suitable position for Naruto to sit down; close enough so he could see, far enough so he had no chance of getting involved.

She called Naruto over and unsealed a blanket and the same barrier seal as last time. Naruto who looked at it in confusion asked what it was.

"It's the barrier seal that I used yesterday. Do you remember?" A look of understanding passed on Naruto's features as he nodded determinedly.

"I do!" Miu just chuckled. "Great, now I'll put it here again. And just like last time, I'll take you out when the spar's over, okay?" Naruto just nodded eagerly and sat down on the blanket Miu had laid down for him.

"Naruto, remember we're just sparing. That means that Anko and I won't seriously hurt each other. So don't worry too much, okay? Just sit back and enjoy the show." He nodded and grinned.

"Okay, nee-chan! I can't wait!" She chuckled and ruffled his hair. Stepping back, she activated the seal with a quick flare of her chakra and walked back to the middle of the clearing where Anko was waiting.

The two faced each other.

"So everything goes, right?" Anko verified. Miu nodded.

"Yeah."

They both fell into their fighting stance and waited, then as if a silent signal was given they ran towards each other, each throwing a Kunai at the other. They met in the middle of the field and engaged in a quick battle of Taijutsu. Miu threw a flurry of punches, missing several times as Anko quickly dodged and lashed out with her leg.

Miu jumped back, avoiding the attack, before throwing a kunai of her own. Anko cursed as she saw the paper tag trailing behind it, quickly replacing herself with a piece of log, before the explosion could fry her. Miu, anticipating this, released a barrage of kunai where Anko was now standing, each one of them with a tag trailing on them. Anko noticed and replaced herself with another log. Miu sensed her coming from behind and turned around, only to jump away as Anko released a huge fireball.

Miu landed on the water. She grinned and made the seals for a simple water jutsu, releasing a wave of water that soaked Anko. She screamed as the cold water hit her and cursed.

"Damn you, Miu!" Anko hissed and swiftly started the hand signs to another technique. Miu got back on land and threw another barrage of tagged kunai, all of which Anko dodged again. Anko, done with her hand seals, took a deep breath and blew out a fire dragon. Miu cursed and used Kawarimi to escape it, only to be skewered by a bunch of Senbon.

* * *

Naruto meanwhile, just sat there wide eyed, slack jawed, watching as his sister and her best friend tried to kill each other with water and fire and all sorts of sharp and pointy objects.

* * *

Miu cursed, pulling a few out of her arms, before she started her own hand seals. Anko didn't hang around and tried to interrupt her, but Miu kept dodging her blows until she made the final hand seal. Miu took a deep breath and unleashed several wind blades that slashed through Anko's clothes, making small cuts on her body and pushed her back with the impact. Anko jumped sideways to avoid the rest of them and started her own hand seals.

Miu threw a pair of shuriken at her hands in an attempt to stop her, but she made the final seal and released some snakes from her sleeves that slithered towards Miu and bound her legs together. Before Miu could do anything about them, Anko kicked her in the gut, sending her to the ground. Anko fished a few Kunai out of her pouch and threw them at Miu who had just managed to get the snakes of off her. Miu's eyes widened and she quickly replaced herself with a kunai that had been lying behind Anko. Miu quickly lashed out at her friend's back with her still sheathed sword. Anko turned around and stopped the sword with the Kunai she was holding.

They broke apart, their breathing labored. Without missing a beat, they put their weapons away and both started making hand signs again. They finished at the same time and both inhaled. Miu released another barrage of her razor winds only to be met with Anko's fireball. Miu's eyes widened and she shunshined away as the fireball grew in size and almost grilled her ass.

"Man, that was close!" She exclaimed as she looked at her singed pants. Miu had no time to recover though as Anko jumped her from above. Miu rolled away and jumped to her feet again. Miu's eyes went to the piece of field behind Anko and she inwardly smirked as she saw all five tags still attached to the kunai. _Perfect._

Miu ran towards Anko and lashed out with her sword again, Anko brought up her kunai as she tried to parry her strike, but Miu was already in process of her next jab. Anko jumped back to avoid it, only to land straight into one of the circles Miu had formed while throwing the tagged kunai in the beginning of the fight.

Miu grinned and promptly slammed her hands onto the ground, effectively activating the circle. Anko, who had been standing just a second ago, now lay on the ground, eagle spread and with her face into the ground. Miu walked up to her with a smug smile, though the effect was lost a bit with her breathing being labored.

"Oops, looks like I overdid it a bit." Anko was not amused and glared at her.

"Deactivate it. _Now._" Miu just rolled her eyes and poked a finger in her friend's neck, avoiding her cursed seal.

"I win!" She stated gleefully, before deactivating the seal. Anko scowled at her and slowly pulled herself into an upright position.

"What kind of seal was that?" She asked grudgingly, glaring at the innocent looking tagged kunai.

"Those are gravity seals!" She informed her friend happily. "I was restocking and thought it would be nice practice. I surprised you, didn't I!"

Anko just grunted in reply. Miu looked her friend over and discovered what she was looking for. Making the needed hand seals, she brought her glowing hands to the wound.

"How was that wind attack? I tried to keep the power as low as possible."

"Man if that was low, you'll make mincemeat out of your enemies. And it stings like a bitch. Still, it can be dodged and you're vulnerable if you're standing still, so be sure to have someone covering you while you use it." Miu nodded.

"Your snake attack was pretty mean. You almost had me there." She told her friend with a grin. Taking a look at the Senbon still lodged in her arm, she quickly took them out and healed up the wounds.

"I can't believe you enhanced my fireball with your wind attack. That was hilarious." Anko laughed. Miu joined in.

"Yeah, I bet your clothes are all dry now." She added smugly. Anko shot her a glare at that.

"That water was_ really cold_!" Miu just rolled her eyes.

"Of course it was. It's October." When Miu had the worst of their injuries healed they got up and made their way towards Naruto.

"The spar was fun." Miu grinned and nodded.

"It was!"

Miu knelt down in front of the barrier and removed the seal with a bit of chakra. She looked up only to be tackled by Naruto.

"Nee-chan!"

"Naruto?"

He looked up with big eyes and a giant smile on his face.

"Nee-chan that was awesome!" He exclaimed, but then his face set in a worrier scowl. "But are you okay? There was all that fire and water and, and you kept throwing those kunai thingies at each other and—!" Miu shot Anko a look and they both started laughing.

Naruto looked at the two of them in confusion.

"What…?"

Miu smiled and gave him a hug. "We're fine kiddo. I already healed our wounds." Naruto looked back up at this.

"Really?"

Miu nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, really."

She got up with Naruto still hanging around her neck.

"Was it fun to watch?" Naruto nodded.

"I've never seen someone breathe fire before like Anko-san! And you were both so fast, sometimes you were here and then suddenly you were gone! Just like that! And nee-chan I saw you blowing Anko-san away! _And you were standing on water! _If I become a ninja, will I be able to do that too?" Miu grinned at him and nodded.

"Maybe you will. C'mon let's go." She put Naruto down again and sealed away the blanket.

Naruto turned to Anko and pointed at her sleeves. "Anko-san, I saw something coming out of your sleeves. What was that?" he asked curiously peering at her arms.

Anko grinned. "Snakes."

Naruto's eyes widened and he took a step back. "S-snakes? You have snakes hiding in your sleeves? But—but! That's just yucky!" He said as he scrunched up his face in disgust.

Anko pouted and flicked his forehead. "It's not yucky! Snakes aren't yucky!" Miu suppressed her grin and tried to placate the two.

"Now, now. Calm down guys." She turned to Naruto who was still eying Anko with wary eyes.

"Naruto, you can't just call something yucky." Naruto pouted at this. "Anko loves snakes, and she has a special contract with them so that she can call them to help her in battle."

Naruto blinked at that. "They help her in battle?" Miu nodded. He turned to Anko.

"Don't they bite?" Anko nodded. "They do! But only when I want them to." Naruto cocked his head to the side.

"Hmm. Well, I guess they're okay then." Miu grinned as Anko launched into her speech of why snakes are so amazing and just rolled her eyes.

"C'mon guys, let's go. You want some ice cream?"

"Yes!" They both shouted simultaneously and Miu laughed.

"Fine, let's go then."

* * *

"And then…" Miu stopped her sentence at the shout and Naruto's insistent tugging at her hand.

"Jiji!"

Both she and Anko turned to look what had Naruto so happy and both their jaws dropped open as they saw who he had just called 'Old man'.

"Naruto!" Miu hissed, as she put a hand on his shoulder. Naruto looked up at this and cocked his head.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"You know who that is right?" Naruto just nodded.

"'Course I do! It's the old man with the weird hat that visited me once a month." Naruto turned as the 'old man' approached again and smiled. "Jiji!"

Miu panicked a bit as the Sandaime approached after Naruto's absolutely rude call.

The wise old coot just laughed at her expression and made a dismissing gesture with his hand.

"It's okay, Miu-chan."

Miu just blinked up at him and frowned.

"Really?" She asked stupidly and promptly berated herself for acting like a kid. But the Sandaime just chuckled and nodded.

"Hello there young man, how have you been?" He asked, turning to Naruto.

Naruto just grinned at him, a real genuine one, because he could actually tell him what had happened.

"I've been really good! Miu-nee-chan's been taking really good care of me." Naruto stated loudly, causing the people that had been listening in to turn around and not so subtly gawk at them.

_Did he just address Tsukino Miu as 'sister'?! _

The Hokage blinked at the new address too and Miu willed her face not to blush this time. With the villagers around, blushing was a sure sign that there was some truth in the statement. _I can't give away anything more on this. Some people may write it off as a way to address a stranger, but some people will definitely start speculating_. She'd have to sign the adoption papers this evening at the latest. The Hokage just shot her an understanding look and smiled.

"I see. That's good to hear, Naruto-kun." Naruto happily agreed and then blinked up as he realized something.

"Don't you have a lot of paperwork, Jiji? Is it okay for you to be here?" Miu almost cringed at the way he was addressing the Sandaime and quickly looked up at the Hokage again. He didn't seem to mind that Naruto was calling him in such a disrespectful way. Leave it to Naruto to call the highest ranking ninja in the village 'Old man' and get away with it.

"Ah, I finished my paperwork early, thanks to a piece of advice I got from Miu-chan here." Miu blinked at this and then promptly started grinning like a cat.

"It's a handy trick, isn't it, Hokage-sama!" Sarutobi just laughed. Naruto tugged at her pants, and she looked down. Naruto was frowning up at her and she crouched down in front of him.

"What's wrong?" He just blinked again and then shot a look at the Sandaime.

"Nee-chan? What does Hokage-sama mean?" Miu opened her mouth and promptly closed it again, biting back her initial reaction of '_you don't know?!'_.

Miu just got up and pointed at the Hokage monument.

"What do you see, Naruto-kun?" She asked. Naruto just inclined his head and stared.

"I see faces." He stated flatly. Miu smiled and nodded.

"That's right. Do you recognize any of these faces?" Miu's smile dimmed a little as a realization hit her. _Your dad's face is up there kid. The father you've never known._ He squinted at her question and then as if struck, jumped a few feet into the air. He turned his face in a snap, looking into the Hokage's amused face and then back at the face on the mountain.

"_Jiji_! _Your face_ _is up there_!" His voice seemed to have raised a pitch and Miu had to bite her lip to control her laughter. Anko was showing no restraint however, as she broke out in a loud laugh. Naruto turned to her with wide eyes and a trembling finger still pointing at the monument, silently asking for an explanation.

"Naruto, remember how I told you about the Daimyo?" Naruto nodded in response, not really understanding the connection. "While the Daimyo may be the leader of Fire Country itself, Konoha has its own leader. That leader is called the Hokage. They are the strongest ninja in the village and lead the ninjas here. Those faces you see there are the faces of the previous Hokage. Do you understand, Naruto-kun?" Naruto nodded eventually and looked awed at the sight of the Sandaime.

"Ne, jiji, so you're the strongest ninja in the village?" And then a thought seemed to struck him, as he became a little quieter. "Was it really okay for you to visit me when you were busy with your work?"

The hokage just smiled and ruffled his hair. "An old man like me can take a break once in a while right?"

Naruto's face broke out in a grin at this. "Yeah!" He exclaimed happily and Miu smiled.

"Miu," The Sandaime called. "Can you come to my office later?" Miu nodded.

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

"Well then, I'll be on my way. Have fun, Naruto-kun. Goodbye Anko-chan, Miu-chan." Naruto grinned up at him and nodded.

"I will, Jiji! See you later!" Miu just smiled and she and Anko gave their leader a small bow.

As the Hokage left, Miu wondered whether or not she should tell Naruto that it was wrong to call the Sandaime that. But as she looked at the small child who was staring at the Hokage Mountain in wonder, she shook her head and left him be. The Hokage didn't mind and it was enough if Naruto understood that he had to respect the old man. But of course…

"Naruto," Said boy turned away from the mountain to look up at her. "Even though Hokage-sama doesn't mind being called 'Jiji', don't do that with other people, okay?"

Naruto inclined his head at that and frowned in thought. "But what if that person was really old?" Anko snickered again at that.

"Then you call them Ojii-san, okay?" Naruto nodded.

"Okay, nee-chan!" Miu smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Good, now let's go get that ice cream."

Anko followed behind her and grinned. "Don't forget me, _nee-chan_!"

* * *

Miu, Anko and Naruto were relaxing on a bench in the park. All three of them with an ice cream in hand.

"Ah. This is so relaxing…" Anko said, a small on her face.

"Uhu. Ice cream after training is the best."

Naruto just took another content lick from his strawberry ice cream.

"Aaah… I love fire country. The weather here is the best." Miu added after a while.

Anko nodded at that. "Suna is too hot. Kiri is too wet."

Miu agreed. "Land of Earth and the land of lightning are okay. I've never been to Iwa or Kumo though. When we were travelling we could only get into the bordering villages."

Anko hummed and they were silent for a while.

"Do you know when Yugao and Hayate will be back? I haven't seen them in a while."

"They left two weeks ago. I have no idea when they're coming back."

"I see. I want to spar with them again. Their Kenjutsu is awesome. Especially Hayate's."

"You should practice your genjutsu again with Kurenai." Anko told her.

Miu pouted at that. "I will when I'm ready."

Out of the corner of her eye, Anko saw Miu clenching her fist. She shot a sideways look at her friend. Miu hadn't told her why she was so bad at Genjutsu or why she practically had a panic attack every time one was cast on her. Anko shrugged. "Suit yourself."

She got up and stretched. "I should go. I have to pack for tomorrow." Miu nodded.

"When are you leaving?"

"At seven in the morning." Miu nodded.

"Maybe I'll see you off." Anko just rolled her eyes. She gave her friend a quick pat on the shoulder and left.

Miu turned to Naruto, who was looking at the park with longing eyes. She smiled gently and brushed a hand through his hair.

"If the weather's good, let's have a picnic tomorrow." Miu stated.

Naruto looked up at his sister with wide eyes. "A picnic?" She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Would you like that?" She asked softly.

He nodded. "I would love to, nee-chan." Miu's smile turned into a grin.

"Good! Then we'll have a picnic tomorrow!" Naruto grinned back at her.

"Yeah!" He replied enthusiastically.

Miu and Naruto got up from the bench when they finished their ice cream.

"You want to go on the swing for a bit?" Naruto nodded eagerly and she smiled.

"Let's go." They both made their way to the swings and as Miu pushed a grinning Naruto, she thought about the fact that she would be signing the papers soon. It made her happy. This boy would officially be her brother and she wouldn't have to worry about the council snatching him away anymore. In turn he would finally have his own place to call home.

In a few hours, this boy would not be an orphan anymore. Miu grinned as a warm feeling engulfed her.

When Naruto got of the swing, they both went to play in the sandbox for a bit.

"Look nee-chan! I made dangos from sand!" Miu looked them over and grinned.

"They look good. Maybe we should give them to Anko." Miu and Naruto laughed at that.

After playing for a while, Miu and Naruto got up. She slapped the sand off his clothes and did the same to hers. When they were finally de-sanded enough, they both left the park.

"Naruto, we're going to have to drop by the hospital for a second. I need to pick up some medical scrolls I left there."

Naruto frowned at this, but nodded. "Okay, Nee-chan." Miu blinked at his reaction and crouched down in front of him.

"Hm? What's wrong?" He just shook his head.

"I just don't like the hospital. We're not going to stay long, right?" Miu stared at Naruto and wondered for a moment how he had been treated over there. Did they treat his wounds? Did they give him pain medication? Did they come when he wanted help? Why was he even there in the first place?

"Nee-chan?" the whisper brought him back, and she pushed away those thoughts for now. She pulled him in a hug and ruffled his hair.

When she pulled away, she smiled reassuringly.

"We'll be in and out. I promise."

She got up and extended her hand.

"C'mon let's go. And after we get home, we should both take a shower." She grinned. "We're completely covered in sand."

"So, what would you like me to make for tomorrows picnic?" Naruto looked up at her.

"I can choose?" Miu smiled and nodded. "Sure. Why not."

"Sandwiches?" He suggested hesitantly. Miu nodded. "What else?"

"Hmm. In the orphanage when someone was celebrating their birthday, the caretakers would make them an apple cake. It always smelled good, but I've never eaten any." He said slowly. "Can you make one, nee-chan?" Miu nodded.

"I can, but I'll have to get some apples then." Miu pulled Naruto into the first grocery store they passed.

"Here we go. We should get everything right now. Ah here: apples. Bread. Ah I need some milk and eggs and—" She turned to the smaller boy with a grin. "Hey Naruto! Let's have curry tonight!" Naruto nodded and smiled. "Okay, nee-chan!"

"Hmm, we still have rice. Let's get some carrots and meat and… oh! Some tomatoes."

They paid for their stuff and left the store. "Ha! Awesome. We're going on a picnic tomorrow! I'm so excited~!" She could finally find some friends for this kid!

Miu and Naruto then both made their way towards the hospital. After this, she should probably go to the Sandaime's office.

As they entered the hospital, Naruto suddenly turned a little uncomfortable.

She just squeezed his hand softly.

"We'll be in and out." She reminded him. He scrunched up his nose and sniffed.

"It smells and everything's white." Miu grinned and ruffled his hair. "I know. It sucks."

"Can't they just paint the walls orange or something?" Miu laughed at that.

"It would give the patients a headache, Naruto-kun, though this white isn't much better. Even something light would have helped to make it more comfortable, right?" He nodded at that.

Miu made her way up the hospital to the small locker room, occasionally nodding at the nurses and doctors they passed. She found hers and got her scrolls out and sealed them away.

"Nee-chan? Why did you leave your scrolls here in the hospital?"

"Ah, that's because in between missions I often came to the hospital to help out. Even though I'm just a beginner at medical techniques, I really wanted to help other people. It would be a waste if I didn't right? After all, my mother spent so much time teaching me. Well, there is this girl who works with me sometimes and she really wanted to read them, so I lent them to her and I told her that she should put them in my locker when she was done and that I would collect them when I came back from my mission." Naruto nodded.

"I see."

"C'mon let's go home! Let's make some cookies and that apple cake for tomorrow!" Naruto grinned.

"Yeah!"

The two of them left the locker room and when they passed a small child reading a book, Miu remembered something.

_"Tonight, I'll read you a story, Miu-chan! Would you like that?"_

_Her mother's warm lap, her father's big hand on her gently patting her head. _

_So comfortable…_

_"Yeah!"_

When they left the hospital Naruto breathed in obnoxiously hard, punctuating the point that the hospital smelled.

"And maybe," She started softly. "I'll read you a story too." Naruto looked up so fast, she thought his head would fall off and his eyes widened.

"Really?" He asked in disbelief. "You'd do that?" Miu smiled softly and nodded.

"Of course I would, if you'd like that." Naruto jumped at this and whooped in joy.

"Yaaay! Miu-nee-chan's going to read me a story!" He jumped up and down a few times, before doing a happy dance, only to bump into a small girl. The two of them landed in a messy heap on the ground.

"Ah! Naruto!" She made her way towards him and untangled him from the other kid.

"Are you two okay?" She asked them. Naruto mumbled a 'yes.' She quickly looked him over and determined he was okay. Turning to the girl, she saw that she was holding her head down. Before Miu could ask if she was okay, she dropped her head in a formal bow.

"Ah! I-I'm sorry for bumping into you." She told them in a panicked voice. "Um, are you okay?"

She turned her head up at this and the two of them were met with pearly white eyes and a bleeding cut on her forehead. Naruto stumbled over to her and did a messy bow of his own.

"A-ah, I'm sorry too! It's okay. I'm fine. Uh, are _you_ okay?" He asked, pointing at his forehead.

A Hyuuga. Miu shot her forehead a look. A _main house _Hyuuga. What the hell was she doing here alone?

_Oh well. _

Taking a step towards the small girl, Miu crouched down and parted her bangs, taking in her forehead with a frown.

"Ah. You hit your forehead. Does it hurt?" The girl blinked up at her and shook her head.

"Ah! I-it's okay! I'm sorry for troubling you." She wanted to bow again, but Miu stopped her by putting her hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize so much. Naruto-kun was also at fault. He should have been watching where he was going." She told her with a smile. She made a few hand seals and brought her glowing hand up to her forehead, healing it with a small amount of chakra.

"I healed the cut." Miu said in reply to the girl's questioning look. She smiled at her and patted her head. "Besides that, are you here alone? Where are your parents?"

The girl brought her hand up and brushed against her now healed forehead.

"Ah, thank you. I-it doesn't hurt anymore." She then tugged at her dark purple obi, before pressing her fingers together.

"Um, I was with my mother…"

"Hinata-chan!" The little girl turned around and Miu looked up at the approaching woman that was probably her mom.

"Ah, Hinata-chan, there you are!" Hinata guiltily looked up at the older woman and grabbed at her violet kimono.

"I'm sorry, Okaa-san." She smiled and just patted the girls head.

"It's alright. Let's go home now, okay?" The girl smiled and nodded.

When the woman looked up and saw them, she smiled politely.

"Excuse me, but who are you?"

Miu got up and bowed to the woman. "I'm Tsukino Miu. Naruto-kun here accidentally bumped into you daughter." She blinked at that.

"I see." The woman turned her moonlike eyes on Naruto at this, carefully scrutinizing him. When she kept staring, Naruto fidgeted under her gaze and shot his sister a helpless look. Miu got agitated and she moved in front of him, blocking him from her view. The woman looked up to her and her face then broke into a smile. Miu blinked in surprise, not expecting this reaction.

"Uhm… is there something wrong, Hyuuga-san?" The woman's smile widened even more and she shook her head.

"No, it's nothing, Tsukino-san. I'm sorry for the trouble. Please excuse us." She gave a small bow and then left with her daughter.

Miu clenched her teeth, staring at their backs until they were gone. That woman's eyes… they unnerved her. It was difficult to read them. Her eyes hadn't been malicious when staring at Naruto. Rather they had been analyzing, as if searching for something. Her smile had been real, albeit a little secretive. Miu's eyebrows dipped into a frown.

"Agh… what is wrong with that woman?!" Naruto tugged at her pants and she looked down to meet apologetic puppy eyes.

"Ugh, don't look at me like that." He dropped his gaze to the ground.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. Miu rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

"It's okay, I'm not mad at you." She patted his head. "Just be careful next time, okay?"

He looked up at this and nodded.

"Good. Let's go." Miu took his hand and they made their way home.

"Ne, nee-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Wasn't that person from that clan with the stony faces?" Miu spluttered at this, biting back a grin.

"S-stony… Naruto! I told you, you can't call them that, it's rude, okay?" Naruto grinned up at his sister and laughed.

"Hehehe, sorry, nee-chan!"

"But, yeah. They _are _a part of the Hyuuga clan. Why?"

"That woman was smiling! I thought all those people were, like, angry all the time! They always look so serious and it's like they're always silently watching with those creepy white eyes! But… that girl I bumped into… she wasn't like them… Ah." He grinned, embarrassingly rubbing at the base of his neck. "They seemed nice."

Miu nodded. "Yeah, they did Naruto-kun." Miu grinned slyly. "It seems you've really taken a like to that girl, huh? What was her name again? Hinata-chan, was it?"

Naruto blushed and flailed his arms. "T-that's not what I meant, nee-chan! What are you saying? I just thought she looked nice, compared to those other people from her clan…" Miu's smiled at him and gently tugged at his hair.

"I know, I know. Hey, now that I think about it, that woman never introduced herself." Miu pouted at this. "Ah~! I wanted to know her name!" Miu blinked and frowned.

"Hey… wait a second. I feel like I've seen her somewhere before." Where was it? In person? A picture? Did mom or dad ever say something about her? Her frown deepened and she closed her eyes to think.

"Where was it…?" It was those eyes. Somewhere, _somewhere_…

With a jolt, she realized. That _picture_!

"Nee-chan?"

Looking around her, she saw they had stopped in the middle of the street and people were staring and glaring.

She grinned at the boy holding her hand and tugged him along. "Sorry about that. Let's go!"

Miu opened the gate and closed it behind them. The two of them made their way inside.

When they both had put on slipper and made their way into the kitchen, Miu unsealed the groceries and started to put they away with Naruto's help.

"Okay, here's what we'll do." Miu sat down across Naruto, handing him his hot chocolate.

"First, we'll drink this. Then we'll go and shower, after that we'll bake that cake and those cookies for tomorrow. Okay?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes."

"When we're done with that, Naruto-kun, I'll go to the Hokage's office and sign the adoption papers." Naruto grinned at this.

"Really?" Miu nodded.

"Really."

"After that, I'll come home and make us some delicious curry. How does that sound?" Naruto nodded at this.

"Good, Nee-chan!" Miu laughed and nodded.

"Then, let's do it!"

* * *

When Naruto was in the shower, Miu made her way to her room. Opening the second drawer, she picked out an unlabeled scroll. She bit her finger and opened it with a swipe of blood. Unsealing a photo album, she took it with her and sat down at her desk.

She hesitated for a second and took a deep breath before opening it. Pictures of her and Naruto's parents greeted her with a smile. She clenched her teeth and ignored those for now. She leafed through the book, searching for the picture she was sure had been here…

"Ah…" Found it.

They were outside. It seems like there was a party going on, because tables littered the grounds, everyone was dressed in formally in either a kimono or a dress and suit. On it, two people stood in the center. One was Hyuuga Hiashi whom she had met at the first council meeting she was called to. The other was the woman she had met earlier, only here she was dressed in a beautiful white brides Kimono.

On their left stood Minato-san and Kushina-san and on the right stood her mom and dad.

The caption under the picture read:_ Hiashi's and Hikari's wedding!_

So, she was Hiashi-san's wife. Huh. Miu blinked at that. The Hyuuga clan head's wife. Which made…

"That little girl is the heir?!" And she really _was _a main house Hyuuga! Wait what the hell was that woman doing in the hospital in the first place?! She hadn't been hurt, right? No, no. She would have noticed otherwise. Had she been diagnosed with an incurable disease?! No, no.

* * *

In heaven four people were watching Miu with an amused smile.

Kushina grinned. "I bet she's pregnant." Three head turned to her.

"Seriously?" They chorused.

Kushina nodded sagely. "Yeah! Look at her face! She got fatter. And there was no guard with her, which meant she had to go to the hospital for something private."

Kazumi nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense."

The two men just shared a confused look.

"It does?"

The two women just nodded sagely together.

"It does."

"I wonder why Hikari-san didn't tell Miu-chan that we knew each other, though." Kazumi mused.

"Maybe she wanted Miu-chan to find out for herself?" Kushina added.

"Hey, that aside wasn't that an awesome way to meet? I just can't believe they just ran straight into each other like that!" Kazumi grinned.

They nodded again.

"It was."

"I can't believe he called the Hyuuga stony faced people. He truly is my son!" Kushina boasted proudly.

They all laughed at that.

* * *

Miu entered the Hokage's office, when he gave her permission to enter. She closed the door behind her.

"Good evening, Hokage-sama." She bowed.

"Good evening, Miu-chan."

The hokage stood by the window, looking over the village.

"I have the adoption papers here." Miu nodded. She was feeling nervous, but that did nothing to deter her determination.

The hokage turned around and faced her. He just looked her in the eyes, as if searching for some answers and nodded when he seemingly found them.

He activated his privacy seal, and out of habit Miu followed its chakra course to check if they closed how they were supposed to and they did.

"You fixed your privacy seal." She stated. It didn't really surprise her. He _was _called the god of shinobi after all.

He smiled. "Of course I did."

He sat down and lit his pipe, taking a deep breath.

"Naruto seems to be doing well." He said after a while. "I've never seen him smile like that before," he added with a small smile. Miu's face lit up at this and she bowed.

"Thank you. I swear I'll continue to take care of him with everything I have, Hokage-sama." He nodded.

"I know you will." He passed the papers to Miu and she gingerly took them.

Taking a deep breath, she filled them in.

"I'm done." She said in a breathy voice. She handed the papers back to the Hokage, who signed them at the end.

"Well, with this, you've officially adopted Uzumaki Naruto." _Officially adopted… Naruto._

A big smile spread across her face and her heart felt like it was fluttering in her chest. She nodded and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" She couldn't wait to tell him! She was just about to turn around and leave, before she remembered something.

"Ah, Hokage-sama, I was thinking about this. Naruto's last name… I thought it was normal to make it Tsukino, right?" He nodded.

"But seeing as my clan was killed and I still don't know who did it, and all the enemies my clan made… is it really safe for Naruto to carry that name? Especially since he wants to be a ninja. I just don't want other people to attack him, because he's carrying my clan's name. And somehow… I don't want Naruto to abandon the name he got from his parents. Even though the Namikaze name is hidden… he still has his mother's last name. what should I do?"

"Well officially he is Uzumaki Namikaze Tsukino Naruto, which is pretty long…" She sweatdropped.

"Yes, it is."

"Well, It's okay for Naruto to just call himself Uzumaki Tsukino Naruto. That way he still has both his mother's name and your clan name. It'll eventually become known that you've adopted him, you know. There's no use in hiding it." Miu reluctantly nodded at that. He _did _make a good point.

"You're right, Hokage-sama." She smiled. "Thank you very much!" She bowed at her leader and just as she was about to leave she turned around again.

"Um, I almost forgot, but… you told me you'd tell me what happened five years ago when I came to sign the papers right?"

Taking another puff from his pipe, the Hokage nodded. "I certainly did. Do you really want to hear it right now?"

Miu blinked at the serious tone in his voice, and for a moment she hesitated. Did she really want to know how Naruto's parents met their end?

"Yes. Yes please."

* * *

"First of all, you have to know that Kushina was the Kyuubi's previous Jinchuuriki. I probably don't need to tell you this, but it's an SS-class secret."

Kushina-san was? "Y-yes, Hokage-sama."

"The seal that holds the Kyuubi back, there is only one occasion where it weakens." He took another puff from his pipe.

"There's a time when it weakens?" Her eyes widened in surprise. The Hokage nodded.

"The seal weakens at childbirth. As you can guess, on the tenth of October almost five years ago, Kushina went into labor. Just to be safe, we had foreseen a cave just outside the village. Minato himself had been in charge of putting the security seals in place. On that day I had a squad of ANBU guarding the cave. My wife and another nurse were going to be Kushina's midwives.

Somehow at the end of the birth, the seal broke and the Kyuubi got free and everyone at the cave was killed. After that it made its way to the village and started to destroy things left and right. It trampled buildings and people as if they were ants. Just as the Kyuubi was going to destroy the village with a Bijudama, some sort of chakra ball, Minato teleported the thing away together with the Kyuubi. And it detonated somewhere outside of the village. Minato then summoned Gamabunta and had it hold down the Kyuubi while he prepared his attack.

Minato called on the Shinigami to seal away the Kyuubi together with his soul."

"T-the Shinigami? Is that even possible?" The Sandaime nodded.

"It's a technique the Uzumaki designed. It's a kinjutsu named the dead demon consuming seal. Minato used it to seal half of the Kyuubi's chakra away. The Kyuubi shrunk, but he was still there. It had so much chakra that even a technique like that couldn't completely bring him down. After that Minato summoned a ceremonial throne, where he planned to seal the kyuubi in Naruto. In a last ditch effort to get free, the kyuubi tried to kill Naruto, but Minato and Kushina protected him and got impaled by his claw. They shared some last words with Naruto and then Minato sealed the Kyuubi away inside his son.

That whole time we couldn't do anything, because Minato had but up a protective barrier. The Kyuubi disappeared and Minato and Kushina died together, leaving only Naruto-kun behind…" The Hokage sighed tiredly and rubbed at his forehead.

After a while, when Miu still hadn't said anything, the Hokage called out to her.

"Miu-chan?"

Miu's throat was dry, somehow her heart felt like it was being crushed. Her vision started blurring and she squeezed her eyes shut.

_Minato-san, Kushina-san. _Her shoulder's shook once. She ducked her head, she got up and still holding her head down, she bowed.

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama…" Her voice came out as a broken whisper. Making a hand sign, she vanished in a silent breeze.

The Hokage just stared sadly at the spot she had been standing and then turned back around to face the window.

* * *

Miu fell to her knees at the base of a tree. Her breathing was harsh. Her shoulder's shook once, twice and then a sob escaped her lips. And then she completely broke down.

"Mi-Minato-san… K-Kushina-san…"

_"Ah, hello there! I'm your dad's friend, Namikaze Minato! Pleased to meet you!" _

_"Uzumaki Kushina! I'm a friend of your parents. Wow, you totally have your mother's nose!"_

_The kyuubi tried to kill Naruto, but Minato and Kushina protected him…_

"They loved you so much, Naruto. You had the most awesome parents ever." Miu bit her lip as tears dripped down her face and sobs wracked her body. She clenched her teeth and tightened her fists.

"Damn it!" Her heart hurt, her head hurt. What the hell was she doing here, when Naruto was waiting for her all alone?!

Miu slowly got up and made her way to a nearby stream. She quickly cleaned herself up and sat down, trying to control her breath and the tears that were still threatening to come out. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath.

_I'll take care of him. I'll treasure him and protect him. I'll make you proud of him, if you aren't already. I'll love him with everything I have. So please, please keep watching over him._

Taking another deep breath, she got up and smiled.

"Gotta cheer up for Naruto-kun! I can't tell him the good news when I'm crying!" She shoved her sadness away for now and made her way home. As she got closer to her home, her fake smile slowly turned into a real genuine one. The excitement from hearing the news came back and she was almost sprinting to get there quicker.

As she opened the door, she called out to him.

"Naruto-kun! I'm home!"

A second of silence. And then he came running with a big smile on his face.

"Nee-chan! Welcome home!" He jumped at her and she caught him with a laugh. She spun him around in the air once, before hugging him tightly. _Ah, so warm… _She closed her eyes for a second and just relished in his warmth.

She pulled away from him slightly and kissed him on his chubby cheek. She smiled at his surprised expression.

"Hey there, little brother. Welcome to the family." Miu watched how realization dawned on his face and tears filled his eyes. He grinned at her.

"Nee-chan…" He whispered. And then his eyebrows drew together in a frown and his face scrunched up. He buried his head in her shoulder and tightened his arms around her neck.

"I'm r-really happy…" A sob wracked his body. Her eyes glazed over and she hummed.

"Yeah. I'm really happy too." She gently stroked his hair. "I promised you, didn't I? That I wouldn't leave you again. That I wouldn't ever let you go back to the orphanage again…" A small nod.

She smiled and carried him to the living room. She sat down on the sofa and just held Naruto until he calmed down. When his sobs turned to sniffling, and his breathing evened, she got up.

"Let's go make that curry, Naruto-kun. You must be hungry." When his stomach growled, Miu blinked in surprise a few times, before laughing.

"See, even your stomach agrees with me." Naruto grumbled something at this and just buried his face deeper into her shoulder. She laughed again and nudged him with a finger.

"Ne, Naruto-kun, can I put you down now? It's kind of difficult to make diner like this…" He just tightened his hold on her and shook his head.

"Just a bit longer…" came the rasped whisper. She smiled gently at the bush of blond hair and just shrugged.

"Fine." Now that she thought about it, it was the first time Naruto refused to listen to her. But as she felt the kid grin into her shoulder, she thought it was okay t let him have his way this time. She filled a glass of water for him and put it down on the table, together with the vegetables she needed and got started with cutting the carrots and potatoes.

After a few minutes Naruto's head popped up from his hiding place. He looked up at her and she grinned at him.

"Hello there, little guy. Long time no see." She passed him the glass of water. "Here. Have a drink, you're thirsty aren't you?" He nodded and took the glass, taking a few gulps he passed the glass back to her.

"Thank you, nee-chan." She smiled.

"You're welcome." Naruto turned around on her lap and sat down watching her cut the vegetables. When she was done and got the onions, she raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think you'd want to be this close to an onion, Naruto." Naruto looked up at this and frowned.

"Why not?" Miu scrunched up her face.

"It'll make you cry."

"It will? How?"

"Something in the onions that comes free and stings your nose or something… I don't know what exactly, though." Naruto frowned at this.

"I don't wanna cry." Miu laughed at this.

"Yeah, me neither." She got up and put Naruto on the counter. He watched her as she peeled the onion and quickly cut it beneath running water.

He blinked a few times and inclined his head.

"I don't feel anything, nee-chan." She nodded.

"That's good. That's why I cut it underneath the water. It helps." Miu then turned on the stove and started preparing their diner.

* * *

Up in heaven, four people were discussing Miu's conversation with the Sandaime.

"It's weird to hear people talk about your death, isn't it?" Kushina said.

"It disturbs me that there are parts that weren't accurate. The Hokage probably knows, seeing he had an autopsy done on the people that were found dead at the cave, that they had been killed by _a man_." Minato started.

"Their injuries couldn't have been caused by a thousand foot fox. But there is nothing that points at the real culprit. Nobody knows that there was a masked man that set the Kyuubi free and controlled it. He's probably the biggest danger that the village will face in the future…"

"Well, it comes down to the next generation of ninja's to protect Konoha. We'll just have to have faith in them." Hiroshi stated.

* * *

About an hour later, they both sat at the table with an empty bowl in front of them.

"Ah, that was delicious!" Miu looked up and noticed Naruto staring at her.

She blinked. "What's wrong, Naruto-kun?"

"Ah, nee-chan… Um, I wanted to say thank you." She frowned.

"Huh? For what? The food?" He shook his head at that.

"That too, but…for everything… Thank you for everything, nee-chan." Ah, so that's what it was.

"You've done so much for me… and you've made me really happy, so thank you." Miu smiled.

"Maybe, I should be the one saying thank you." Naruto looked up at this. "You may not realize it, but just being here for me means so much. I'm really thankful, so thank you too." Naruto blushed at this and she grinned.

"Ah~! I don't wanna do the dishes." She sunk lower in her chair and pouted. Naruto giggled at that.

"Hahha, nee-chan, you look funny if you do that. And your face is getting red."

"Meh." She said disinterestedly and flailed her arms at this. "I'm a fish." She sucked in her cheeks and did a fishy face.

Naruto snorted and burst out laughing, almost falling of his chair in the process.

"N-nee—Y-your fa…" Naruto choked on his words and started laughing again. Miu just grinned as Naruto's own face became red.

"Naruto, you have to stop laughing, otherwise you'll just end up puking up your diner." When he just kept laughing, Miu, becoming annoyed, pulled at his cheeks.

"Oi brat, I said to stop laughing or you'll puke." Naruto eventually calmed down and Miu sighed.

"Finally…" She shot the dishes on the table a dirty look, before picking them up with a resigned sigh.

"I should probably do the dishes…" She picked them up and dropped them in the sink. Ah, she was feeling so lazy… She didn't _want _to do her evening exercise. She just wanted to curl up into a ball and _sleep_.

"Ah…" That reminded her… "Ne, Naruto-kun? What kind of story would you like to hear?" Naruto sat up at this.

"Hmm…" Naruto frowned as he thought about it. "I want to hear a story about a hero!"

A stab of pain. _"The kyuubi tried to kill Naruto, but Minato and Kushina protected him…_"

"A hero, huh?" She turned around and faced him with a small smile. "How about two?"

* * *

**A/N:** So what did you guys think about fighting scene? The way Hinata and Naruto met? Please leave a review! Feedback is always appreciated.


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